The Daughter of Rumple and Belle
by Partypandas00
Summary: AU Story This is the story of Cass. She is the daughter of Rumplestiltskin and Belle. In Storybrooke she is Hazel Mills, the daughter of Regina Mills. Follow her story through the series of 'Once Upon a Time'
1. Chapter 1

_Fairytale land:_ _Italics_

Storybook: Normal

 _As the girl rode on along the road, her horse's hooves galloping on the cobbles, she looked around herself. The leaves where slowly falling from the trees, the air around her was chilly and the birds where flying in groups in the sky, winter was definitely on its way. She came to the edge of the forest and strolled on through the small village that lay on the outskirts, noticing (as she always did) the way people kept their distance from her, she sighed as she kept moving. No one ever wanted to interact with her, it was nothing to do with herself, it was the person she lived with, it was because of this that she had no friends, they were all to scared of her_

 _She made it through the village and prodded on up the hill, towards the huge castle ahead. As she neared, she noticed a black carriage sitting outside the front door, frowning the girl slid down from her horse, and walked the rest of the way, holding the reins of the horse so he clomped along behind her. She got to the side of the carriage and stopped. It was pretty big and looked very posh, at the front were two, big, black horse's, they stood poised and ready to be given orders. The footmen by the carriage were no different, they were both bulk-built and looked extremely strong, and they too stood posed and ready, not moving a muscle, they didn't even blink._

 _The girl frowned slightly, still holding onto the reins of her own little horse, who had now bent down to eat some grass. Just then the doors behind her opened and she turned round sharply, her father came strolling out of the house in his usual manner, followed by (and the girl could not believe her eyes) the queen. The girl stood stock still as the two adults, who were deep in (what the girl guessed was an argument) strolled on over, "I will say nothing more, now we're done!" her father said and then stopped dead when he saw the girl, "Cass?" he said, staring at her "You're early dearie" he added, Cass looked towards the queen and then at her father, "It's 7:30 Papa" she replied, Cass looked from one to the other, unsure of what to say, "So, this is your daughter Rumple" the queen said, breaking the silence, "Lovely to meet you Cassey" she extended her hand, Cass hesitated for a moment then shook it, bowing her head slightly as she did, "Lovely to meet you too...Your Majesty" she replied "And its just Cass" she added, the queen dropped her hand and smiled sweetly at the young girl, "Cass, why don't you go take Charlie to the stables" Rumple said briefly and Cass nodded, she bowed her head once more to the queen before walking on with her horse._

 _Cass got to the stables and led Charlie back into his Pen and unsaddled him, she then made sure he had food and water before heading back out of the stables and towards the front of the castle again. As she got there she could see the carriage moving on down the hill, away towards the village, Cass ran on over to her father, who was still standing at the door, watching the carriage drive away, "What did she want Papa?" Cass asked curiously, as she watched the carriage and then looked up at Rumple, he continued to stare straight ahead, "Nothing of any interest dearie" he replied. After a moment he finally took his eyes off the road and looked down at his daughter, "I don't want you riding in the forest" he said simply, Cass frowned slightly, confused by this sudden request, "Why Papa?" she asked him, a look of puzzlement shown on her face, "Just promise me Cass" he replied, Cass nodded, though she was still very confused, "Yes Papa"_

"Hazel?!"

The girl woke with a start as she heard the cry, her head was laid upon the desk, when she sat up she found a piece of paper stuck to her cheek, with a frown she peeled it off and looked at herself in the computer screen. There was a black smudge, smeared on her cheek, sighing she rubbed frantically with her hand to get rid of it, "HAZEL?!" the voice came again, with a groan, Hazel got up off the seat and made her way to the door, she gasped as she opened the door and almost fell over in fright finding her mother standing right outside, "What?" she said once she'd restrained herself, "Have you seen Henry?" her mother asked firmly, which made it sound more of a demand than a question, "Not since he left for Archie's" Hazel replied simply, "He's probably still there" Hazel turned back and went to sit at her desk again, Regina followed her in, "I phoned Dr Hopper and he told me Henry never turned up for his session" she said, her voice becoming more fiercer with every word she spoke, Hazel turned her head away and just shrugged, "well, how should I know" she said, she knew her mother would see through the lies if Hazel made eye contact with her, Regina frowned but she turned and stomped her way back out of the room, Hazel peered round and bit her lip slightly.

Ten minutes later, Hazel found herself downstairs talking with Graham the Sheriff, "Did Henry say anything to you earlier?" he asked, Hazel just shook her head, she did this was most of the questions that were thrown at her until after a while she felt that Graham was repeating himself. Eventually they were finished and Hazel got to leave the room, as she passed the front door, she thought she could hear voices on the other side, Hazel frowned and began to walk over, but Regina who had heard also, rushed passed Hazel and wrenched the door open, "Henry? Uh! Henry!" she cried, and Hazel saw her run out and bend down in front of a small figure, Hazel then walked on over to the door, Graham right behind her, she watched as Henry was hugged by Regina but then looked passed him at the women stand a little way behind. She was tall, with long blond hair, and she wore blue jeans, a black round-necked top and a red leather jacket. Hazel stared at the women at the women for a moment and then looked back round as Regina spoke, "Are you okay? Where have you been? What happened?" she said worriedly, still holding her son, "I found my REAL mom!" Henry retorted back.

There was an awkward silence, in which time Henry pulled from Regina's hold running passed Hazel and Graham and into the house, Hazel watched him go and then looked back at her mother and the women, "You're Henry's birth mother?" Regina asked, surprised and shocked, Hazel stared at both of them, "Hi" the women said awkwardly, "I'll go check on Henry" Hazel said, breaking the silence and then turned and wandered back into the house, she heard footsteps behind her and looking back saw Graham following.

Hazel hurried on upstairs to Henry's room and lightly knocked on the door before going in, "Hey" she said seeing Henry sitting on his bed, she walked over and sat beside him putting her arm around her brother, "How you doing?" Hazel asked but before Henry could answer there was a knock on the door and Graham came in, "Hey lad, how are you?" he said as he closed the door and walked over, Henry only nodded and said nothing, Hazel could tell that he wasn't in the mood for talking and looked up at Graham, "He's just tired" she explained, Graham nodded, "Right, I'll go tell your mother" he replied and then turned and went back out the room, Hazel turned back to Henry, "So...Success then?" she said quietly.

 _Cass sat at the dinner table, flicking her food over on her fork, pondering with her thoughts, she glanced over at her father at the head of the table and studied him for a moment, she then looked away again before speaking, "What did the queen want Papa?" she asked, trying to keep her voice polite and calm, she glanced over at Rumple again, he had stopped eating and was staring straight ahead, "Like I said dearie, nothing of any interest" he said casually, "Don't worry about it" Cass looked down, she frowned "But I am. Worried I mean" she replied, "Every time she's around bad things happen" Cass started running her folk over her plate so it made a scratching sound, "Nothing bad will happen Cass" Rumple said, Cass scratched harder on the plate, "You'll see dearie, it will be fine" Cass continued to scratch hard on the plate, she knew it would drive his patience but she hoped it would make him break, "Cass, I won't let anything happen" he said, his voice becoming firmer, Cass scratched as hard as she could so that the plate was almost at breaking point, "CASS! STOP THAT!" Rumple yelled and the fork instantly flew out of Cass' hand and struck the wall on the opposite side of the room, Cass lost it also, she pushed her chair back and slammed her hands on the table, "How can you stop things!" she cried "How can you not let things happen! You couldn't help mother!" Cass felt her eyes fill with tears and her cheeks flushed, without another word she spun round and ran as fast as she could out of the room and towards the front door._

Hazel stayed with Henry until he had fallen asleep, and then she kissed him on the forehead before heading slowly and quietly out of the room, she carefully closed the door behind her and made her way to her own bedroom, "Hazel!" came Regina's voice from downstairs, sighing she turned around and walked halfway downstairs finding her mother in the hallway, "What?!" she said tiredly as she leaned against the banister, "What did he tell you?!" Regina asked, folding her arms as she did, Hazel sighed "Nothing, he wouldn't tell me anything" she replied, Regina frowned, "Don't lie to me, I know Henry tells you everything" she replied a little firmer, "Yeah...Well not about this" she sassed back at her mother, "Do not take that lip with me" Regina said, "Now tell me what he said!" Hazel stared back, her eyes fixed on Regina's "Nothing" she said slowly and clearly, Regina still frowned, "Fine! Go to your room!" she ordered, Hazel rolled her eyes and walked back up the stairs, she shut the door and leaned back against it, then slid down to the ground and sighed in relief.

Next morning, Hazel woke up at 7:00am and made her way out of the room and towards the bathroom, just as she got to the door Henry rushed out. He was fully dressed in his uniform and looked ready to go, Hazel frowned "Henry? It's 7oclock, why are you completely ready?" she asked curiously, Henry put his finger to his lips, "Shh...You didn't see me alright" he said, confused Hazel nodded and Henry ran to his bedroom and she went on into the bathroom.

Once Hazel was washed, she came out of the bathroom and went back towards her own room, she peered into Henry's room on the way and saw he was gone, she frowned but walked on to her own room. As she was drying her hair in front of the mirror her mother came bursting in, "Where's Henry?" she asked firmly, though Hazel could hear nothing over the sound of the hairdryer, Regina snatched it from her and switched it off, "Hey!" Hazel cried, staring up at her mother, "Where's your brother?" Regina said again, "How should I know, probably in his room" Hazel answered, trying to reach for the hairdryer, Regina frowned and threw the hairdryer onto the bed and went back out of the room, Hazel rolled her eyes, picking up the hairdryer she turned it on again and continued to dry her hair. When she was done, Hazel went downstairs to find Regina in the hallway searching for something in her bag, she soon withdrew her keys from inside and looked round at Hazel, "I'm going to inform the Sheriff, stay here encase anybody calls" she explained, Hazel nodded then turned her head away and rolled her eyes, before heading on into the kitchen to make her breakfast

About twenty minutes later the front door opened and Regina came in, followed by Graham and the women from last night, Hazel frowned as she got up from the table and headed over into the hall, her mother spoke, "The computer's through there" she pointed to the sitting room and then turned to her daughter, "Has anyone phoned?" she asked, Hazel shook her head distractively, watching Graham and the women go into the sitting room, Regina went into the room after them and Hazel slowly followed. She watched as the women sat down and powered up the computer, Regina then signed into the email account and they waited, "Smart kid" the women said "Cleared his inbox. I'm smart too, little hard disk recovery utility I like to use" she held up a small pen drive like object, Hazel walked on over so she was standing behind the women, "I'm a bit more old-fashioned, in my techniques. Pounding the pavements, knocking on doors, that sort of thing" Graham told the women, "You're on salary: I get paid for delivery. Pounding pavements is not a luxury that I get" Emma explained as she searched through the computer, "Ah, there's a receipt for a website, - it's expensive. He has a credit card?" the women said as she scrolled through one of the emails, out the corner of her eye Hazel saw Regina come over so she was standing on the other side of Graham, Hazel looked from the women to Regina, "He's ten" her mother replied "Well, he used one. Let's pull up a transaction record" the women then clicked around for a moment and then a new page opened, Hazel's eyes went wide when she saw what name appear on screen, "Mary Margaret Blanchard, who's Mary Margret Blanchard?" the women read and asked as she looked round at Regina, Hazel started to back away, shifting her eyes towards her mother as she frowned,"Henry's teacher" she said sternly, Hazel then turned fully and headed towards the door, "Where are you going young lady?" came Regina's firm voice, Hazel stopped and glanced round, trying to come up with a good excuse, "I gotta do something, just remembered" she said and before anyone could speak Hazel dashed out of the house and up the road.

 _Cass stood in Charlie's Pen, brushing his smooth back, she sighed occasionally as she did so and eventually she felt herself drop down onto an upturned bucket, she put her head in her hands and began to sob quietly, "Cass?" said a voice and she looked up suddenly to find her father standing outside the Pen, Cass glanced away again, "I'm sorry Papa... I didn't mean what I said" she said guiltily, there was the sound of the Pen door opening and she felt Rumple sit down beside her, he slowly and gently put his arm around her and Cass broke down, she buried her face into his cloak, "Hey, none of that" Rumple said softly and Cass looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears, Rumple gently wiped them away and put his hand on her chin, "Come on, where's that smile?" he said, and Cass curled her lips slightly giving him a small smile, "I'm sorry Papa" she said again, Rumple nodded "It's okay dearie, now come have dinner" he replied, Cass smiled and nodded, "Alright, I'm just going to finish brushing Charlie" she said, Rumple nodded "Don't be long" he replied before standing up and walking back out of the Pen and towards the castle, Cass took in a long, soft breath and then stood up and continued to brush her horse._

Hazel walked towards the playground, she stopped a few feet away from the castle like climbing frame and saw a small figure sitting alone, she smiled, she walked over and climbed up the steps, then sat down on the edge beside Henry, "Thought I'd find you here" she said, Henry said nothing and just stared straight ahead, "Your mum's still here" Hazel went on, "She's helping look for you" Henry gave a slow breath out and still saying nothing, Hazel sighed slightly, "So...Why'd you run off this morning?" she asked him curiously, "Just wanted to be alone" Henry finally spoke, Hazel smiled and put her arm around her little brother, hugging him gently. They both sat in silence for a while, Hazel then heard the sound of footsteps behind them, she turned her head to see Emma climbing up, she was carrying a book under her arm, Hazel's gaze followed Emma as she sat down on the other side of Henry, "You left this in my car" Emma said handing Henry the book, Hazel glanced at the cover noticing it was titled 'Once Upon a Time' and then looked from Emma to Henry and then she stood up, "I'll leave you two alone" she said, "Henry I'll go give the credit card back" she added and Henry dug his hand into his pocket and took out Mary Margaret's card, Hazel took it "Don't worry I'll tell her I took it" she said and then turned and climbed back down off the castle and headed back towards town.

Once back on main street Hazel made her way towards the school, all the kids were in the playground so she guessed it must be recess, as she made her way up to the door a couple of girls came over to her, "Hey Hazel, where were you today?" one of them asked, Hazel stopped and turned, "My little brother went missing, I was helping to find him" she replied, "I'll talk to you later, I've got to go do something" she added quickly and before any of them could say another word Hazel headed on into the school. She walked to the staff room door, knocked and waited, a few minutes later it was answered by one of the teachers who taught the class above her, "Hi...Is...Miss Blanchard there?" she asked politely, the teacher nodded and went back into the room, after a few seconds Miss Blanchard appeared, "Hazel? Where have you been? I was told you missed all your classes" she said, Hazel glanced down slightly "yeah I...I was helping to find Henry" she said "I just wanted to give you this back" she added and she withdrew the credit card from her pocket, "It wasn't Henry who took it, it was me" Hazel said still staring at the ground, "I took it for him" Miss Blanchard took the card, "Its okay Hazel, I understand" Hazel looked up at her and saw she was smiling and she gave a small smile back "I promise whatever he spent I'll try paying it back, Granny said she might have a job for me at the diner" Hazel said hurriedly, Miss Blanchard still smiled, "Hazel really, its okay" she said, "You don't owe me anything" Hazel smiled gratefully "Thanks" she said, Miss Blanchard nodded "Run along then" she said and with one last smile Hazel turned and headed on back out of the building.

Later on, once it was getting dark Hazel was making her way back home after spending most of the afternoon at Granny's, she often did this as an excuse not to go home, but once closing time came she knew she couldn't stay any longer. As she walked with her head bowed, she wasn't really paying attention to where she was going and bumped right into someone, "Oh sorry I..." she said as she looked up and found Emma standing in front of her, "I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention" Hazel said again, "it's okay" Emma replied, "I was just looking for somewhere I could get a room" she said, Hazel smiled, "Try Granny's" she said "It's just down the road, I'll take you there" and without waiting for an answer she turned and lead the way back the way she had come.

They got to 'Granny's Bed and Breakfast' and Hazel went in first, as she did she could hear shouting from above "You're out all night, and now you're going out again!" came Granny's voice from the stairs, "I should've moved to Boston!" Ruby's voice came, also on the stairs "I'm sorry that my heart attack interfered with your plans to sleep your way down the Eastern Seaboard!" Granny retorted back, Hazel rolled her eyes and turned her head towards the stairs as the two figures came into view, "When you've both done arguing, you have a customer" Hazel said and both of them stopped, "She'd like a room" Hazel added indicating to Emma who was behind her, Granny rushed on over to the desk, "Really? Would you like a forest view or a square view? Normally there's an upgrade fee for the square, but as the rent is due, I'll wave it" she said as she opened up her book "Squares fine" Emma said, "Now. What's the name?" Granny asked, "Swan, Emma Swan" Emma replied, "Emma?" came a voice from behind them, they all turned and saw Mr Gold standing slightly behind Hazel and Emma, "What a lovely name" he added, "Thanks" Emma replied, Hazel moved to the side as Mr Gold came over to the desk,"Hazel? What a surprise to see you here" he said, Hazel kept her eyes down and just shrugged, Granny then broke the tension by holding out a bundle of rolled up notes, "Its all here" she said to Mr Gold and he took the notes from her, "Yes, yes, of course it is dear. Thank you" he replied and he turned to Emma, "Enjoy your stay, Emma" he said and then he looked at Hazel, "Give my regards to your mother Hazel" he added before he turned and strolled out of the building, Emma turned to Granny, "Who's that?"she asked curiously, "Mr Gold. He owns this place" Ruby said from the door,"The inn?" Emma asked, "No" Hazel replied, "The town" Granny added


	2. Chapter 2

_Fairytale Land: Italics_

Storybrook: Normal

Hazel woke next morning and first thing she did was think back over her dream she'd had, it was always the same one; she would be running through a forest and then all of a sudden the setting would change to a dark corridor with a cell at the far end, when she walked over to it there would be a dark shadowy figure right in the far corner, making it hard to see them, a voice from the cell would then be heard telling her to run but for some reason it would be as if her feet were stuck to the ground, for what ever reason she would not be able to budge from that spot. Then out of nowhere guards would surround her and pull her away from the cell and tears would then leak from her eyes as she stared towards the figure in the cell not wanting to take her eyes off it. Then she would wake with a start.

After a couple of minutes Hazel yawned and stretched before getting, she showered, dressed and done her hair then made her way out of the room, as she passed Henry's room she heard voices and stopped to listen, Henry was in the middle of saying "... stuffs missing. What do you care?" and then Regina replied, "I care because you think that I'm some evil queen. That hurts me Henry. I'm your mother" then Henry replied "No, your not!" there was pause, "Well, then, who is?" Regina said, "That women you brought here?" Hazel listened for a response but Henry said nothing, "I don't like what she or this book is doing to you. Thankfully both are no longer an issue" Regina said, there was silence and then Hazel heard footsteps coming towards the door, she gasped and quickly ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, glancing back she saw Henry go straight to the front door and out.

Hazel finished up her breakfast and headed on out of the house, as she walked towards town, she heard a faint chiming in the distance, frowning she looked up at the clock and did a double take. The clock was showing that it was 8oclock - the right time! Frowning Hazel walked on over so she was right underneath the clock tower, there was no mistaken it, the big hand was pointing all the way up at 12 and the little hand at 8, Hazel continued to stare at it in confusion, "Old clock seems to have sorted itself out" came a voice behind her and Hazel spun round to find Mr Gold standing there, "Yeah..." Hazel replied as she looked back up at the clock "Weird..." Hazel could feel Mr Gold staring at her, "Where are you off to this early Hazel?" he asked curiously, Hazel shrugged still not looking at him "Just out for a walk" she replied "Before school starts" Hazel glanced round, she was right Mr Gold had his eyes fixed on her, "Well, why don't you walk with me to my shop?" he said kindly, Hazel shook her head "I'm not going that way..." she replied "I got to go" and without another word she turned and walked on up the road, sensing all the time that Mr Gold was watching her.

She soon made it to 'Granny's' and got herself ready for work; she hung up her school bag and coat then put on an apron, she then picked up a pad and pen and went to start serving tables. As Hazel was pouring coffee for one of the costumers the door opened and Emma came in, she walked on over to the counter and took a seat, Hazel finished pouring the coffee and went over, "Can I get you anything?" she asked politely, Emma looked up and smiled "I'm fine thanks" she replied, Hazel nodded before walking over to collect a couple plates of food and took them out.

After a few minutes Ruby went over to Emma with a cup of coco, "Here you go!" she said cheerfully, "Thank you...but I did not order that" Emma said, confused "Yeah I know. You have an admirer" Ruby replied, Emma looked behind her towards one of the booths where Graham was sitting on his own, Hazel watched as Emma walked over to him, "Ah, so you decided to stay" Graham said as Emma stopped in front of him, Hazel smirked slightly and deciding not to eavesdrop went back to work.

After taking someone's order and returning to the counter she saw out the corner of her eye Emma leaving the diner with Henry, Hazel turned her head towards the door and watched them go out, she smiled slightly before picking up two mugs of coffee and taking them over to one of the booths, the door then opened again and Hazel gasped as she saw her mother walk in, turning her head away pretending to be wiping down one of the tables, praying Regina didn't spot her, "Hazel?!" a firm voice said beside her, Hazel bit her lip and turned around, Regina was standing a few feet away from her, "What on earth are you doing?!" she asked firmly, Hazel glanced down at the floor "Working..." she replied quietly and she could tell Regina's frown had deepened, "Work?!" she cried out making almost everyone in the diner turn to look at them, Granny then came over to them, "Is there something wrong?" she asked curiously, Hazel glanced up at Granny and then at Regina, "Why on earth would you let my daughter work here!?" Granny frowned "She brought a letter with your permission, so as long as I have the parents consent..." Granny started but was cut off, "Letter?! What letter?!" she exclaimed, then looked at Hazel who had gone back to staring at the floor, saying nothing, "Hazel?!" Regina said warningly, finally Hazel looked up, feeling every muscle in her body tense up, she was fit to explode at any moment, "Why would I ask for your permission?!" she cried, letting all her frustration out "You never let me do anything!" she looked Regina straight in the eyes then turned towards Granny, "I'm sorry Granny, but you don't know what its like with her" she said and then looked around the diner at everyone else who were all watching them, "None of you do!" and before anyone could speak or stop her, Hazel tore off her apron and ran out the door and up the street.

 _"Do you have to go Papa?" Cass whined as she watched Rumple prepare himself for work, "It's all part of the job dearie" he replied, looking round and Cass looked down at the floor, "Its not fair!" she moaned "Sometimes I wish you weren't 'The Dark One' and you were just my Papa" she looked back up at him "How long will you be away this time?" she asked, Rumple gave a small smile, "Hopefully not very long" he replied, "This one should be a small job" he then knelt down in front of her, "Now remember what I've told you" he said in a more serious voice, Cass nodded "Stay out of the forest" she replied, Rumple nodded "Good. Why don't you go into the village and play with the other children?" he said to her, Cass gave a small smile, "Yeah...Maybe..." she said halfheartedly, Rumple then stood up and touched Cass' head lightly, "See you soon" Cass said, trying to sound cheerful, Rumple gave one last nod and in a puff of red smoke he was gone._

 _Cass wondered around the house, trying to think of something to do. In the end she decided just to go out on her horse, she made her way to the stables and over to Charles' pen and set him up with saddle and rein, then took him outside and over to the front of the house, Cass then heaved herself up onto his back, and she then gave him a little kick and they were off. She rode on down into the village and looked around for something to occupy her, she then spotted a group of children nearby playing with a ball, Cass trotted on over, she stopped a little way off and slid down off her horse and walked the rest of the way, as she did the children all stopped playing and looked round at her, Cass smiled "Hi" she said "Can I play with you?" the children all looked at one another then the tallest boy spoke up, "We've already got enough people" he said simply, "Well I could be like a reserve or something" Cass replied, hopefully "Sorry, we don't need one" the boy said before turning away with the others and they began their game again, Cass sighed softly and walked back over to Charlie, she climbed onto his back again and rode on._

 _She trotted on around the village feeling very bored and alone; she soon came to the edge of the forest, Cass stared into the trees and began to puzzle over her fathers request, 'Why would he all of a sudden forbid her from going into here' she thought, she looked down at her horse, "What do you think?" she said and then looked back into the trees, "I've been in here plenty of times and nothings happened" after a moment she gently gave Charlie a little kick and rode on into the trees. She was soon deep in the forest, but she kept to the road so she knew she'd be able to find her way back again. After a while she stopped and slid down off her horse and brought him to the side of the road, that's where she saw it; a poor, helpless rabbit caught in a hunters trap, without even thinking Cass rushed over to it, "Poor little thing" she said in a soft voice. As she worked on the lock she didn't even hear the carriage approaching up the road and then suddenly it was there and stopping right behind her, the door opened just as Cass turned her head and she found herself looking up at the queen, sitting posed in her seat, Cass said or did nothing, her hands were still on the catch of the trap, the queen then smiled at her "Hello dear" she said kindly, "Cass isn't it?" the girl nodded still not taking her hands off the trap, "Whatever are you doing way out here?" the queen asked her, "I...I was just out riding, then I saw this trapped rabbit and I had to let him go, it's not right" she replied back, forgetting for a moment who she was speaking to and then quickly added, "Your majesty" for politeness._

 _The queen in answer said nothing but she stepped out of the carriage and came over to where Cass was crouching, "Can I help?" she offered kindly before bending down beside the girl and placed her hand on the trapped also and together they broke catch on the lock and Cass reached in and picked up the little rabbit and took it over to the edge of the trees to let it run off, she then turned back around, the queen was on her feet again, "Thank you...Your majesty" she said giving a small, grateful smile. There was silence for a moment in which time Cass looked down rather awkwardly and then the queen spoke, "So where were you off to that you came so deep within the forest" Cass glanced up slightly, she was unsure of what to say but thought it would be impolite to just shrug so said simply, "Just out for a ride...Often when I go out I just take the chance and see where I end up, Charlie can always find the way home again no matter where we are" she explained as she reached up to her horse and stroked him gently, the queen smiled still "Have you ever been to the palace" she asked the girl and Cass shook her head, "No, but I know my Papa has" she said "For work I expect" there was silence again, then the queen said, "How would you like to come with me and I can show you around the palace?" Cass looked up excited for a moment, she had always wanted to see inside the palace but then had another thought and bit her lip slightly, "I'm not really supposed to go to that end of the forest" she explained a little disappointed, the queen then bent down in front of her and placed two fingers under the girls chin and lifted her head gently to look at her, "Well we can make it our little secret" she said softly, "And we'll get you home long before your father gets back" Cass considered for a moment and then smiled and nodded, well she supposed it would be okay if she went for just a little while, she was sure her father was going to be late back anyway, "Alright..." she said a little more excited now, the queen smiled as she stood up straight again, "Wonderful" she said as she made her way back to the carriage and sat down inside, "Just follow the carriage on your horse" Cass nodded and mounted Charlie again, the carriage door was shut, the footman got into place and the driver slapped the reins and they were off, Cass then gave Charlie a small nudge and began to follow on behind._


	3. Chapter 3

Fairytale: Italics

Storybrook: Normal

As Hazel walked back home much later on she knew there was going to be trouble after her 'little scene' in the diner earlier, her mother would probably be grounding her for a month, she wouldn't be surprised even if she began escorting her to school now after the stunt she pulled. Hazel decided to take the back way into the house to give herself a little more time of freedom before her punishment, as she drew nearer the house she stopped hearing voices ahead, walking more slowly she crept a little closer and hid behind the nearest tree that would give her a good view without being seen. As she peered round her eyes caught sight of her mother standing by the huge apple tree with her back to Hazel and there talking to her was Mr Gold, Hazel frowned slightly as she pricked her ears up trying to hear what they were saying, "I wouldn't bet on that" Mr Gold said sounding rather smug, "I just seen her strolling down the main street with your boy" he began to walk round Regina "thick as thieves they looked" Mr Gold then stopped so he was standing with his back to Hazel now, "What?" Regina said shocked, "Perhaps you should of come to me" Mr Gold went on, "Miss Swan is a problem you can't fix, I'm only to happy to help, for a price of course" Regina then sniggered, "I'm not in the business of making deals with you anymore" she said and turned her back on Mr Gold, "To which deal are you referring?" Mr Gold asked, Regina turned her head sharply, "You know what deal" she said in a rather firm voice, Mr Gold laughed slightly, "Alright yeah, the boy I procured for you" there was a pause "Henry. Did I ever tell you what a lovely name that was? However did you pick it?" there was a silence again, Hazel still watched from her hiding spot frowning all the time wondering what on earth they were going on about, and what did Mr Gold mean by 'the boy I procured for you'

Regina then turned around sharply so she was facing Mr Gold again, "Did you want her to come to town? You wanted all this to happen didn't you, your finding Henry wasn't an accident was it?" Regina said firmly, "What ever do you mean?" Mr Gold said quite calmly, "Where did you get him?" Regina said in more of a demand than a question;

"Do you know something?"

"I've no idea what your implying"

"I think you do"

There was a pause and then Regina went on, "Who is this women, his mother, this Emma Swan?" Hazel leaned forwards slightly not wanting to miss a single word, "I would say you think you know exactly who she is" Mr Gold said still in a calm voice, "I really must be going" Mr Gold then turned to walked off, Hazel gasped silently and hid behind the tree fully now, "Tell me what you know about her?" Regina said, her voice even more demanding now, Hazel didn't dare look round again but she kept on listening, "I'm not going to answer you dear, so I suggest you excuse me, please" Mr Gold said in a final note, there was nothing more said, Hazel peered round again and saw Mr Gold walking off along the path and away from the house, she peered round the tree again to see Regina still standing by the apple tree, a look of utter shock on her face, she looked like she had seen a ghost or something, Hazel waited a moment before coming out from her hiding place and acting as causal as she could, walked on over to the tree till she was a few feet in front of her mother, "Mum?" Hazel said, and as if coming out of a trance Regina shook herself and looked at Hazel, "Where have you been all night?" she asked in a firm tone, Hazel shrugged "Just, out" she said, "Have you seen Henry?" Regina asked, Hazel shook her head, "Not since this morning" she replied, "Get inside now!" Regina said sharply, Hazel said nothing and walked passed Regina and towards the house, "And don't think I haven't forgotten your little outburst this morning young lady!" Regina said making Hazel stop in her tracks, "As of this moment, your grounded until I say other wise, and you are not to go anywhere other than school and this house. Do you understand me?" Hazel didn't turn around, she made a face but nodded slowly, "Yes..." she said, "And you are no longer to work at that diner!" Hazel said nothing to this and just stomped on towards the house. Once inside she began to think over the conversation she had heard, 'what was all that about?' she thought.

 _Once they arrived at the palace, Cass slid down from her horse just as the queen stepped on out of her carriage, she smiled towards the girl and Cass strolled on over still holding the reins of her horse, "Oh don't worry about him dear" the queen said as she looked at the horse and then back at Cass, "The footmen will place him in the stables for now" Cass smiled and nodded, she then turned to Charlie and hugged him gently, "Be good now" she whispered to him before placing a soft kiss on his nose, she then turned back to the queen, "come along then dear" she said as she turned and began to walk on into the palace, Cass smiled and followed._

 _The queen showed her around most of the palace, although there were some rooms she could not go into, eventually they settled down in the queens private quarters where there was tea brought for them, "So Cass" the queen said as she poured herself a cup, "What was your mother like?" Cass glanced up from her teacup and hesitated she then slowly placed the cup down onto the table, "I...I never really knew her" she said honestly and sadly, "She died when I was small" Cass glanced down slightly staring at her knees, "Oh, I'm sorry" the queen said in a sympathetic tone, "That must of been awful" Cass kept looking down at the floor, "My Papa told me she was very beautiful" she said "He told me, hat she was hero" Cass said nothing more and kept on looking at the ground, willing herself not to burst into tears, the truth was she hated talking about her mother, even though she hardly knew her it still hurt to speak about her, "It must of been terrible to lose her like that" the queen said, Cass just nodded still not looking up, "And you must be very lonely, I mean your father will be away a lot yes?" she went on, Cass nodded again, "Yes, Your Majesty" she said softly still not looking up, the queen smiled, "You can call me Regina, dear" she said kindly, there was silence for a moment while the queen just watched Cass closely, "Come with me dear, I'd like to show you something" the queen said finally, Cass looked up at last to see the queen now on her feet so the girl did the same and followed the women across the room and over to the opposite wall where a large object stood, covered by a white sheet. The queen reached out and pulled the side of the sheet so it flowed swiftly off, revealing what was underneath, Cass then frowned slightly "A looking glass?" she said slightly puzzled as she looked up at the queen who smiled down at the girl, "Ah, this is no ordinary mirror dear" she said as she came to stand beside the girl, "It is believed that when you look into this mirror you will see your true hearts desires and show you how to find them" Cass looked at the queen and then over at the mirror suddenly feeling very curious, "Go on" the queen said, "Have a look, I know you want to dear" the girl hesitated for a moment and then slowly began to walk over, only stopping when she was a couple of feet in front of the mirror, she stared at her reflection in the glass , frowning "I...I don't see anything, how does it work?" she asked curiously, "You have to really look deep, dear" the queen replied, Cass closed her eyes for a moment and then opened them again, she then leaned forwards , so she was as close to the mirror as she could get and strained her eyes slightly. And then everything happened to quick for her to process; she suddenly felt herself being forced forwards into the mirror but instead of banging into it her whole body slipped right through the glass and she felt herself falling through the air._

 _Back in the palace the queen smirked to herself as she watched the girl falling through the mirror and then it returned back to normal and she turned away just as one of the guards came in, "Release the girls horse" she ordered to him, "I'm sure the beast can find it's way home" the guard nodded and hurried back out, the queen then walked across the room feeling proud with herself._

True to her word Regina had grounded Hazel and every morning she would drive her to school, dropping her off right in front of the building, she would then watch the girl to make sure she definitely went in, then after school Hazel was to wait outside the front to be picked up again and taken straight home, it was so humiliating for Hazel, she felt like some little kid being dropped off and picked up from a day care center, but she knew better than to argue with her mother.

One morning Hazel was in the kitchen eating her breakfast waiting for her mother to get ready and take her to her piano lesson. It had been two weeks since she had first been grounded and Regina was no more near letting her punishment go than pigs flying. As Hazel munched on her toast Regina came strolling into the room, "Come on" she said "I have to make a stop on the way first" Hazel sighed and rolled her eyes slightly as she picked up the last piece of toast and followed her mother out to the car and got in, Hazel said nothing as Regina started the engine and drove off, "Where are we going?" Hazel asked, "I have to stop of at the hospital" she said simply, Hazel's stomach then gave a lurch, "Is it Henry?" she asked instantly, panic in her voice, Regina shook her head, "No of course not, do you think I would be keeping the speed limit if it were?" she said, Hazel gave a sigh of relief, "Why do you have to go then?" she asked, "John Doe is missing" she said, Hazel frowned as she thought for a moment "The coma guy? How could he be missing?" she asked curiously, "He woke up" Regina replied and Hazel frowned still "And just decided to go for a walk?" she said half sarcastically, Regina frowned now "Don't get smart, this is a serious matter" she said and then they drove the rest of the way in silence.

Once at the hospital Hazel was waiting just outside the room where her mother was speaking to Dr Whale, she sat down in one of the seats suddenly feeling very bored. Just then the doors at the other end of the ward opened and in entered Henry followed by Mary Margaret and then Emma, "Guys he's waking up" Henry said excitedly as he came running over towards the room, Hazel got to her feet, "Henry, you should stay back" Graham said as he walked over from the door, "What's going on?" Mary Margaret asked as she stopped behind Henry "Is it John Doe? Is he okay?" Hazel then came on over to them, "He's missing" Graham said, a few moments later Regina came out of the room and over to them, "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked sharply to Emma, "And you!" she added as she took hold of Henry's arm, "I thought you were at the arcade? Now your lying to me?" Hazel smirked slightly and then looked round as Mary Margaret spoke, "What happened to John Doe? Did someone take him?" Graham shook his head, "We dunno yet, his IVs were ripped out but there's no sign for sure there was a struggle" he said, Henry then burst out to Regina, "What did you do?" Henry said to Regina, she looked at him startled "You think I had something to do with this?" she said, "It is curious that the mayor is here" Emma then said a little suspiciously, "I'm here because I'm his emergency contact" she said sharply, "You know him?" Mary Margaret said curiously, "I found him, on the side of the road years ago with no ID, I brought him here" Regina replied simply. Just then Dr Whale appeared beside them, "Mayor Mill's saved his life" he said "Will he be okay?" Mary Margaret asked worriedly, "Okay?" Dr Whale said "The mans been on feeding tubes for years under constant supervision, he needs to get back here right away, or quite honestly 'okay' might be a pipe dream" Hazel bit her lip slightly and then looked round as Emma spoke, "Well then lets quit yapping and start looking" she said as she turned to walk off, "That's what we're doing" Regina said firmly "Just stay out of this dear and since I clearly can't keep you away from my son, I guess I'm just going to have to keep my son away from you" she then took hold of Henry's hand and began to walk off, "Come along Hazel" she called back to her and the girl began to follow, Regina then stopped beside Emma and looked her up and down for a moment, "Enjoy my shirt" she said bluntly and Hazel smirked noticing for the first time Emma had one of her mothers shirts on, "Because that's all your getting" she added and then turned her head, "Sheriff! Find John Doe, you heard Dr Whale time is precious" she said before walking off, Hazel flashed a quick smile at Emma and the others before following her mother.

Later on Hazel was sitting at home at the dining table working on her homework, she then heard movement in the hall and looked round to see Henry hurrying towards the front door, frowning Hazel got up and rushed after him, "Hey, what you doing?" she called softly to him, "I'm gonna help them look" he replied before running off, Hazel frowned puzzled for a moment and then got it and rushed off after her brother, even though it would mean getting into more trouble with their mother. They headed on into the woods, "Why we going in here?" she asked him curiously, "Cause he's heading to the Toll Bridge" he said to her, Hazel frowned "How can you be so sure" she asked him, "Cause that's the last thing Mary Margaret read to him before he woke up" he said before running a little faster.

They soon found Emma, Mary Margaret and Graham, "Henry! Hazel!" Mary Margaret cried out, "Did you find him yet?" Henry asked, "No not yet, you shouldn't be here, neither of you should" Emma said, "We can help! I know where he's going" Henry said, "And where's that?" Mary Margaret replied, "He's looking for you" he said to her, Hazel frowned slightly suddenly very confused, Graham then came back over and they all began walking on, "Your the one who woke him up" Henry said as they walked, "Your the last one he saw, he wants to find you" Mary Margaret then turned and spoke softly to him, "Henry, it's not about me it's just, I think he's lost and confused, he's been in a coma a long time" Henry then started to sound desperate, "But he loves you!" he said "You need to stop chasing him and let him find you" Hazel looked from one to he other and then decided to walk on a little to help Graham further up, "Kid you need to go home" Emma said firmly then looked from Henry to Hazel, "You both do. Where's your mum? She's gonna kill me, and then you two and then me again" Hazel stopped and looked back, "She dropped us both at the house then went right out, I saw Henry sneak out so I followed him" she said to her, "Well we need to get you both back immediately" Emma said "NO!" Henry said and then there was shout of "Guys!" from Graham in the distance, they all went racing over to where Graham was crouched down on the ground examining something on a bush, Hazel leaned over to see a wrist band with the name 'John Doe' and there were red smudges on it, "Is that?" Mary Margaret said fearfully, "Blood" Emma answered and they all looked at each other worriedly.

They made it to the Toll Bridge, "Where is he? Can you see him?" Mary Margaret cried, "The trail dies at the water line" Graham said, Hazel wondered further over to the water, not caring her feet were getting soaked, she shined the flashlight she had gotten from Graham all around, the light then shone on the form of something, "Look!" she cried, pointing in the direction of her light, "Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh my god!" Mary Margaret cried and she and Graham rushed over to the body lying almost face down in the water, "I need an ambulance! At the old Toll Bridge, as soon as possible" Graham called into his speaker, Hazel watched as Mary Margaret, Graham and Emma heaved the man out of the water and onto the rocks, "No, no, no, no, no! No, no, no! I found you!" Mary Margaret cried fearfully as she bent over the man, "Helps coming" Graham said, "Is he okay?" Henry called over from the banks, Hazel then rushed over to her little brother as did Emma, "Henry" Emma said, "Is he going to be okay?" Henry asked again, "Henry, don't look. Okay? Don't look" Emma told him as she took him into a hold and turned him, so he was looking away from the scene, Hazel put her hand on her brothers shoulder but she keep her eyes on what was happening, she bit her lip watching fearfully, "Come back to us" Mary Margaret cried as she continued to lean over the man, she then began to try and resuscitate him by giving him mouth to mouth. There was a long, terrifying pause and Hazel closed her eyes in horror and then there was the sound of spluttering and she snapped her eyes open again to find the man fully conscious, she smiled in relief "You saved me" the man said in a harsh whisper, Hazel smiled brightly, "She did it! She did it! She woke him up" Henry said happily, "Yeah, kid. She did" Emma said sounding slightly puzzled, "Thank you" the man said completely out of breath, "Who are you?" Mary Margaret said, "I don't know" he replied, "It's okay. You're going to be okay"

They arrived back at the hospital and the Doctors took the man straight back into the hospital room for examination, everyone all stood outside the door, watching them anxiously, just then there was a sudden cry from behind them, "David!" and they all turned to see a women running towards the room and pushed her way through them all and into the room, "David, is that you?" she said as she stopped by the bed;

"Excuse me, ma'am" Dr Whale said

"Oh my god..."

"Ma'am, you can't be in here. Please, you can't be here right now"

"David..."

"You can't be here, ma'am. Can you wait over here for a second, okay"

The others all watched as Dr Whale took the women gently to one side, "Who is that?" Mary Margaret said curiously, "His wife" came a voice from behind them and they all turned to see Regina standing there, a smile on her face. They all frowned as Regina began to speak, "His name is David Nolan" she said "And that's his wife, Kathryn. And the joy on her face, well, it's put me in quite the forgiving mood" Hazel rolled her eyes slightly as she went and sat down in the seat next to Henry, "We'll talk about your insubordination later" she said to Henry, "Do you know what insubordination means" Henry shook his head, "It means your grounded" Regina then looked at Hazel, "Congratulations young lady, you just earned yourself another month of being grounded" she said, Hazel looked away and rolled her eyes. The door from the room opened and the women - Katheryn came out, "Thank you. Thank you for finding my David" she said gratefully, "Um, I-I don't understand. You didn't...You didn't know that he was here in a coma?" Mary Margaret said, "A few years ago, David and I were not getting along. It was my fault, I know that now. I was difficult and unsupportive. I told him if he didn't like things, he could leave. And he did. And I didn't stop him. It was the worst mistake I ever made" Kathryn explained, "You didn't go look for him?" Emma asked her curiously, "I assumed he'd left town all this time. Now I know why I never heard from him. Now I get to do what I've wanted to do forever - say I'm sorry. Now we get a second chance" Kathryn replied, "That's wonderful" Mary Margaret said with a smile, which Hazel could tell was put on, she watched her sadly and then looked over at Kathryn and then up at her mother.

Dr Whale then came out of the room, "Well it's something of a miracle" he said sounding almost stunned, everyone leaned forwards to listening, "He's okay?" Kathryn asked anxiously, "Ah, Physically, he's on the mend, um, his memory is another issue. It may take time, if at all" Dr Whale explained, "What brought him back?" Mary Margaret interrupted "That's the thing. There's no explanation. Something just clicked in him" Dr Whale said, "He just got up and decided to go for a stroll" Emma said doubtfully, "He woke up and he was delirious and his first instinct was to go find something, I guess" Dr Whale replied, "Someone" Henry said and everyone looked round at him, Hazel frowned curiously, "Can I see him?" Kathryn asked hopefully, "Yeah, of course" and Dr Whale led Kathryn into the other room, "Henry, Hazel, Lets go!" Regina said sharply as she turned and walked off, Hazel sighed as she got up and followed her mother, Henry got up also and began to walk but then stopped, "Wait, my back pack" he said and rushed back to the seat to pick up his bag, then he went over to Mary Margaret and whispered to her, Hazel was just in earshot to hear and stopped to listen, "Don't believe them. Your the one he was looking for" he said to her, "Henry..." she replied sadly, "He was going to the Troll Bridge. It's like the end of the story" he said hastily, "Henry, he was going there because it's the last thing I read to him" she told his sadly, "No, it's because you belong together" he said, Hazel frowned as she looked at them both, "Henry! Hazel!" came Regina's voice becoming impatient now, Hazel strolled on over to her, Henry followed on behind, Regina then took Henry's hand and they all walked out.

As they walked down the corridor Emma's voice came calling after them, "Madam Mayor!" she called, "Wait by the car" she said to Henry and Hazel and they both carried on walking as Regina turned around, "Miss Swan, I let you off the hook back there. Don't press it" Hazel heard her mother say, before she and Henry both turned the corner and were out of ear shot. They waited outside beside the car until Regina came out and opened it for them, they all climbed on in, Hazel jumped in the front while Henry got into the back and they drove off in silence back home.


	4. Chapter 4

_Fairytale Land: Italics_

Storybrook: Normal

 _Cass felt herself falling slow motion through the air, she wanted to scream but when she opened her mouth no sound would be heard, the whole thing seemed to go on forever. Suddenly she felt herself speed up and then she fell with a huge splash into water, Cass worked her arms and legs, kicking and pushing herself against the water trying to reach the surface, all the time coughing and chocking, she almost felt like giving up but she gave one last mighty kick and finally broke the surface, she coughed and spluttered loudly as she swam as hard as she could over to the shore, not caring at that moment where it led or who she may face. Cass made it to the side and lay down on the soft grass, taking deep, heavy breaths, she closed her eyes and let her head fall to the side as she welled up with tears. She had been tricked, the queen had fooled her and now because she had been so stupid she was stuck in, wherever she was now and what's worse her father would be so angry at her for disobeying him, "Papa...I'm sorry" she whispered, she opened her eyes again and let the tears run down her cheeks._

 _After a moment, once she had gotten her strength back she sat up and looked around, trying to work out where she had ended up. The whole place seemed bizarre and mad, Cass slowly got to her feet and began to make her way over towards the edge of a large wooded area, she stared into the trees curiously, then took a step closer and suddenly she heard a shout from nearby, "Who goes there?" it cried, Cass gasped and without thinking she ran full pelt into the trees, trying to get away from the voices._

 _Cass had always been good at running away from trouble, but this was not like the woods back home, she knew those woods, she'd trekked them hundreds of times but this was a strange place, every way she went she's come to a dead end, or the voices would become louder, she took every twist and turn she came to. After a bit the voices sounded more distant and for one joyous moment she thought she had lost her trackers, when suddenly someone launched at her from the side and tackled Cass, pinning her to the ground, she turned her head to look at her captor. He was young, maybe a few years older than herself, with short brown hair, brown eyes and was wearing a red, soldiers uniform, with all her might she pushed as hard as she could against the person and managed to throw him off, she then staggered backwards trying to get away but felt a soaring pain in her leg, "Stop in the name of the Queen of Hearts" he cried out, Cass froze instantly, suddenly feeling completely helpless, how much worse could things get._

Hazel sat at the table with Henry, she was busy doing homework while he sat with his head buried in one of his comic books, Hazel looked round as her mother began to speak, "I know two you think otherwise, but I don't enjoy these Saturday city council meetings. Sometimes there just unavoidable" she said while applying her lipstick, Hazel looked away again and carried on with her homework as Regina walked over to them, "Now, you both know the rules?" she said standing in front of them, Henry looked up from his comic, "Yes on homework, no on TV, and stay inside" he said as if he were reciting lines from a play, "Good" she said, pleased "Under no circumstances do either of you leave this house" Regina then looked at Hazel, "You got it?" she added firmly and Hazel nodded, "You mean don't want me to see my mum" Henry said bluntly and Hazel glanced up, "she's not your mother. She's just a women passing through. Now both of you do as I say or there will be consequences" Regina said before she turned and headed towards the front door, "I'll be back at 5:00 sharp" she opened the door and went out, Hazel rolled her eyes and then began to carry on with her homework, she then frowned as she heard Henry get up and rush over to the window, after a moment he picked up his rucksack and darted to the door, "Henry?" Hazel said puzzled as she watched him, "Don't tell, please" he said, Hazel hesitated for a moment and then smiled, "Alright, but remember be back before 5:00 okay" she said, Henry nodded and dashed out. Hazel stared into space for a moment, thinking to herself, she then smirking and got up, she grabbed her bag and hurried on out of the house also.

 _Cass was frozen to the spot for a couple of seconds then she got to her feet and turned to run away, "Stop!" the man cried, "Or what!" Cass said as she turned towards him again, "You'll take me to the queen, I've already faced one queen today, I'm not about to go in front of another" she said firmly to him, "Who are you anyway, her puppy dog?" she backed away ever so slowly, trying to create as much distance as she could between herself and the man, "I'm her knave" he said to her, Cass then smirked, "Like a court jester?" she said amused, "No, more like a Jack of all Trades" he said simply, Cass shook her head, "Believe me your no solider, your just, the queen's pet" she said, "Now. Let. Me. Go" she said sharply to him, "Can't do tha' luv" he said as he drew out his sword, Cass smirked, "Do you even know how to use that?" she said doubtfully, "Aye, I do" he said "And I'm pretty skilled at it I'll 'ave ya know" he took a few steps towards her, "Look, why don't we just both go our own separate ways, you forget you saw me and I'll go on looking for a way to get back home. Deal?" she said, the knave shook his head, "Can't do tha' luv" he said, "Now come with me or I'll 'ave to take ya by force" Cass stood her ground and crossed her arms, "No" she said firmly, the man rolled his eyes, "Man you are so bloody stubborn" he said before taking another step towards Cass, the sword was now inches from her throat, "Sorry, but you don't 'ave a choice" he said, suddenly 3 or 4 more soldiers came running out from all directions and surrounded her, Cass looked round at them all and then back at the Knave and frowned at him, "Guards never come out without backup" he said and smiled smugly, two of the guards then grabbed her from both sides and began to drag her off._

Hazel walked around Main Street for a while and then finally decided to go to Grannys, she'd not stepped foot in there since her little out burst, so she was really nervous to how people would react. She stood outside the diner for a long minute, and then took a deep breath and finally walked on up to the door. She looked around as she entered, it wasn't really busy at the moment, there were 2 or 3 waitresses on duty and Granny herself was standing behind the counter looking through her accounts, Hazel sighed before walking on over, "Granny?" she said softly, the women looked up "Hazel?" she said, surprised "I don't think you should be here, if your mother knew" Hazel gave a slight smile, "Tt's alright. She's at her city council meeting and won't be out for hours" Granny smiled and nodded, "Oh...Okay" Granny said, "Well how about a snack?" she asked her and Hazel smiled, "I'm starving" she said, Granny nodded and called back to the kitchen, "Grilled cheese and a hot coco with cinnamon" she said, Hazel took one of the seats at the counter, "I'm sorry Granny" she said quietly, "I didn't mean to act like that the other day" Granny smiled and nodded "Don't you worry about it" the women told her.

After a bit Hazel was sitting with her coco and sandwich, she happily eat and drank, minding her own business. She turned as she heard the door open and saw Emma come on in followed by Henry, they went straight over to Ruby who was behind the counter, "Why didn't you told me she sold the baby?" Emma asked her, Hazel frowned slightly as she listened in, "Because I didn't think it was important" Ruby replied simply, "Really, considering that's why she's running away?" Emma said bluntly, "Look, Ashley's my friend. I don't like the idea of people judging her" Ruby said as she walked along the counter and over to the kitchen hatch, Emma followed, she then picked something up from the counter, "Ruby, where's your car?" she asked, Hazel looked round at the door and then back at Emma, "You didn't send me to Sean to find her, you sent me there to give her a head start" Emma said as she walked back over to the counter so they were now standing right beside Hazel, "Look, I'm only trying to help her" Ruby said "Yeah, so am I" Emma said a little firmly now "Ashley's in more trouble than you know, Ruby. Where is she? Don't make her deal with Gold without me"

Hazel's eyes went wide and stared at both of them, listening closely still, Ruby looked at Henry and then back at Emma, "I can't talk in front of him. He's the mayor's kid" she said bluntly, "Hey, I'm on your side" Henry said defensively, Ruby just stared not saying anything then walked away, Emma turned to Henry now and bent down in front of him, "Henry, I need to find this woman, and in order to do that, I need you to go home, okay? So please listen to me, seriously. She's not gonna tell me anything if your around" Henry then nodded, "Okay" he agreed, "Thank you" Emma replied, Henry then turned and ran on out, Emma spotted Hazel and gave her a sympathetic look, Hazel got the picture and nodded "Got it" she said understandably, she finished her cocoa, put some money on the counter and hurried out.

Once outside she spotted Henry climbing into the back of Emma's car, she frowned slightly and went over, "What are you doing?" she asked, opening the passenger side door, Henry was lying down on the back seat of the car, "I'm waiting for Emma" he said, Hazel shrugged slightly, "Well, you may need an extra pair of hands" she said and then climbed on into the back with Henry and ducked down, a few minutes later Emma got into the car and began to drive off.

A little way into the journey Henry and Hazel both popped up, "What did she tell you?" Henry asked, Emma jumped in fright and swerved the car slightly, "Henry! Hazel! What the hell?" Emma said surprised and shocked, "I am going to Boston, neither of you can come with me" she added more softly this time, "You can't go to Boston, she can't leave! Bad things happen to anyone that does" Henry said, Hazel frowned slightly, "I don't have time to argue with you over the curse. I've got to get you both home" Hazel frowned still wondering what on earth they were talking about, "We have to stop her before she gets hurt. We're wasting time. If you drop us off, you'll never catch up to her" Henry told her, "Henry..." Emma said with a sigh, "And then Mr Gold will call the police, and he'll have her sent to jail" Hazel looked from one to the other, completely baffled by what they were saying, Emma sighed, "Buckle up" Emma said after a long pause "Ashley, what did you get yourself into?" Emma added under her breath.

They drove on until they were almost at the edge of town, Henry was now in the front seat, suddenly he pointed up ahead at something in the road, "I told you" he said and Hazel looked passed him to see a car in a ditch at the side of the road, "It's her car" Henry added, Emma pulled into the side of the road and they all jumped out and ran over to the other car, "Ashley?" Emma called worriedly, Hazel ran over so she was in front of the car and found a women sitting in the ditch, "Over here" Hazel called and the other two ran over, Ashley was groaning in pain, "Aaah! My baby. It's coming" she said, sounding scared, Hazel looked back at Emma and Henry fearfully, Emma instantly ran over to Ashley and helped her stand, Hazel came to help and took Ashley's other arm and together they got the women into Emma's car, they all then climbed in and Emma speed off.

All through the ride Ashley groaned in pain as she clutched at her stomach, "Is the baby really coming?" Henry asked, "Oh, yeah. Don't worry. The hospital isn't that far" Emma said, "No, no, no, no, take me to Boston. I can't go back there" Ashley said fearfully, "Oh, no we don't have four hours, trust me. I know" Emma said, "I can't go back there, please" Ashley pleaded now "He's gonna take my baby" Hazel looked from Ashley to Emma feeling scared for the women, "I won't let that happen, but do you know what you're asking for? If you keep this child are you really ready?" Emma asked her, "Yeah" Ashley replied, "Are you sure? Because I wasn't" both Henry and Hazel looked at Emma now, "You weren't?" Ashley said, "Nope. If you want give this kid it's best chance, it's gonna be with someone who's ready, so know what that means. Your whole life is gonna change, and once you decide that it's yours, this running away can't happen. You have to grow up, and you can't ever leave. Understand?" Emma told her, "Yes. I want my baby" Ashley said determinedly, Emma nodded and drove on. Hazel looked at Henry and put her arm around her little brother comfortingly.

 _Cass was taken straight to the The Queen of Hearts palace. It looked much bigger than Regina's palace and there were a lot more guards around, the two guards who were holding her walked her straight up a long path, the Knave was walking a few strides in front of them, they eventually stopped in front of the thrown and the Knave spoke, "A trespasser my queen" he said, "Found her lurking about in the grounds" Cass looked at the Knave and then over at the thrown. The queen's head was completely covered by a long head dress, hiding her face from view and when she spoke she did so through a long tube, speaking only to the man next to her who then repeated what she had said, "What are you doing in Wonderland, and why are you on the queens lands?" he said, one of the guards prodded Cass in the back, demanding her to speak "I was sent here. Well more like banished here" she said, the queen then spoke, again through the tube, "Who sent you, and how did you come to be here?" the man said, "Regina the queen, she..." but before Cass could finish there was a uproar from around her, "Never! Speak that name" the man said firmly, "There is only one queen, and she is the Queen of Hearts" Cass looked at the women behind the veil and then at the man, "Well that is how I came to be here. She pushed me through a looking glass" Cass said a little more firmer now. There was silence for a moment and then the queen once again spoke through the tube and then the man announced to the room, "Everyone, leave now" he said, the guards on either side of Cass began to drag her off, "No, not the girl!" the man said and then she felt the men release her and she looked around the room as every single person left until it was only herself and the queen, Cass looked round at the women again just as she reached up to take off her veil._

In the hospital, they were all waiting in the lounge for word of Ashley and the baby, Hazel had gone to get some coffees from the machine but found the machine was out of order, she sighed and went over to the juice machine instead and poured out three cups, she then brought them back over to Emma and Henry, "Sorry, coffee machine was broken. Hope juice is okay" she said handing a cup to each of them, a nurse appeared beside them, "Ms Swan, the baby is a healthy six-pound girl, and the mother is doing fine" she said cheerfully, Hazel smiled, as did Emma and Henry, "What lovely news" came a voice behind them, they all turned to see Mr Gold standing in the entrance of the lounge, "Excellent work, Ms Swan. Thank you for bringing me my merchandise" Hazel looked from Emma to Mr Gold and bit her lip slightly, Mr Gold then walked over towards the coffee machine and Emma follow, Hazel hesitated before going over after them and lingered a few feet away, listening, "well, well. Must be my lucky day. Care for a cup, Ms Swan?" Mrs Gold said as he withdrew a cup of coffee, Hazel frowned slightly, "A baby? That's your merchandise? Why didn't you tell me?" Emma said firmly, they both began to walk back over to the lounge area and Hazel retreated slightly, "Well, because at the time you didn't need to know" Mr Gold said to her, "Really, or you thought I wouldn't take the job?" Emma said, "On the contrary, I thought it would be more effective if you found out yourself. After seeing Ashley's hard life, I thought it would make sense...to you. I mean if anyone can understand the reasons behind giving up a baby, I assumed it would be you" Hazel stared between Emma and Mr Gold, "You're not getting that kid" Emma said in a low, firm voice now, Hazel wanted to warn Emma to be careful what she said, "Actually, we have an agreement. And my agreements are always honoured. If not, I'm going to have to involve the police, and that baby is going to end up in the system, and that would be a pity. You didn't enjoy your time in the system, did you Emma?" Hazel total forgot about the full cup of juice still in her hand, she continued to listen intently, "That's not gonna happen" Emma said, more determined now, "I like your confidence. Charming, but all I have to do is press charges. She did, after all, break into my shop" Mr Gold said simply, "Let me guess, to steal a contract?" Emma replied, "Who knows what she was after" Mr Gold said "You know, no jury in the world will put a women in jail whose only reason for breaking and entering was to keep her child. I'm willing to roll the dice that contract doesn't standing up. Are you? Not to mention what might come out about you in the process. Somehow I suspect there's more to you than a simple pawnbroker. You really want to start that fight?" Emma said rather confidently

Hazel stared at Emma in amazement, she'd never known anyone to talk to Mr Gold like this before, she glanced at him and to her surprise he smiled, "I like you, Ms Swan" he said and Hazel frowned, "You're not afraid of me, and that's either cocky or presumptuous. Either way I'd rather have you on my side" he added, "So she can keep the baby?" Emma asked, "Not just yet" Mr Gold said as he turned round slightly, "There's still the matter of my agreement with Ms Boyd" he turned back round to face Emma, "Tear it up" Emma said simply, "That's not what I do. You see, contracts, deals, well they're the very foundation of all civilized existence, so I put it to you now. If you want Ashley to have that baby, are you willing to make a deal with me?" Mr Gold said, Hazel's eyes went wide at this and looked at Emma, desperately wanting to speak out, "What do you want?" Emma asked firmly, "Oh I don't know just yet. You'll owe me a favor" Mr Gold replied, that was the last straw, Hazel knew she couldn't keep quiet now, "Emma!" she said worriedly, as she pulled Emma gently by the arm, so that she turned around and they moved away from Mr Gold, "You can't...making a deal with Mr Gold...it never ends well" she said, panic in her eyes, Emma sighed "It's the only way Ashley can keep her baby" she said reluctantly "I have to" she then turned back to Mr Gold and Hazel watched fearfully, "Deal!" Emma said firmly and stared at Mr Gold for a moment before turning away and going back over to Henry.

Hazel watched her go and then looked back at Mr Gold, they stared at each other for a moment, saying nothing and then Hazel turned away, "How are you Hazel?" he asked and she turned her head back to face him, frowning slightly, "Okay..." she said puzzled, Mr Gold nodded "Everything, alright at home?" he asked, Hazel's frown deepened, wondering why on earth he was asking her this, "Yeah..." she said, she then looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was quarter to 5:00, she gasped remembering her mother said she would be home at 5:00 sharp. Without saying anything to Mr Gold she turned around sharply and hurried along the corridor to get Emma and Henry.

 _Cass stared at the women in front of her, the women smiled at the girl as she stood up and walked on over, "I'm sorry if you were mistreated, dear" she said as she reached Cass and put her hand on the girls shoulder, "Are you alright?" Cass frowned slightly, totally taken aback, "You say, Regina sent you here?" she asked, Cass nodded "Through a looking glass?" the queen added, again Cass nodded, the queen then began to lead the Cass across the room to a door, they went through and Cass found they were in a private quarter, the queen brought Cass over to a long armchair and sat down with her, "Why on earth would Regina want to do something like this, to a young girl such as you?" she said curiously, Cass thought for a moment, she had a pretty good idea why Regina had done what she did, but the thought of telling the queen who she really was did not seem a wise thing to do, so she decided to lie, she shook her head, "I...I don't know...Your Majesty" she said keeping her eyes focused on the ground. There was silence for a moment and then the queen spoke again, "You must be exhausted, dear" she said "I'll have a room made up for you to rest" Cass looked up now, "Oh...but...I really should be finding my way home" she said, the queen smiled kindly "Don't be silly, dear" she said "You must need your rest?" Cass said nothing for a moment, it was true that was tired, perhaps sometime to rest would be good, and then she could start her search for a way home after she'd recovered, Cass smiled at the queen, "Thank you...Your Majesty" she said gratefully, the queen smiled,"No need to call me that, you may call me Cora" she said kindly._

They were back in Emma's car, practically racing down the road to get back home before 5:00, Hazel was tapping her hand on her leg nervously, hoping they were going to make it, "Pumpkin. My code name. I was thinking in honour of Cinderella...Pumpkin" Emma said as glanced into her rear view mirror at Henry who was in the back, Hazel frowned slightly and looked back at him, he shook his head, "You got a better one in mind?" Emma asked, "Yep" he said, "Well?" Emma said, "I'm not sure you're ready yet" Henry said simply, Hazel frowned at them both and then smirked slightly.

Finally they pulled up outside the house and Hazel climbed out the car, bring the seat forward for Henry to get out, she smiled gratefully at Emma, "Thanks Emma" she said, Emma nodded, "Henry! About what you said at the hospital. about me being able to leave?" Emma said to him, "Yeah?" Henry said rather worriedly, "See you tomorrow" Emma said with a smiled, Henry smiled brightly back and Hazel did too, as she put her arm around Henry and they both ran up the path, into the house. Henry went straight upstairs while Hazel went to sit back at the dining table to finish her homework. A minute later Regina walked into the house, she stopped in the hall and looked over at Haze, the girl smiled her sweetest smile, Regina said nothing and began climbing up the stairs, she stopped halfway and bent down to pick something up, one of Henry's shoes, it must of fallen off as he ran, "Henry? Henry? What did I tell? Do not..." she said firmly but Hazel heard nothing more as Regina reached the top of the stairs and entered Henry's room.


	5. Chapter 5

_Fairytale land: Italics_

Storybrooke: Normal

 _Cass woke with a start, she was completely disoriented for a moment and forgot where she was, after looking round the room the memory of the other day came flooding back to her. She sat up slowly and pushed back the covers . The room was fairly large, not as big as her bedroom back home. After a moment she got up and found her clothes, laid out neatly on a chair, she was wearing a plain, white nightdress at the moment which was a few sizes to big. Cass picked up her clothes and began to get dressed, and headed over to the door that led into the corridor._

 _As she came out of the room, she found the Knave standing by her door, she frowned at him as he turned round, "Why do I need a guard?" she asked stubbornly, "Queens orders" he replied, "I've been ordered to bring you too 'er" he explained, Cass frowned and folded her arms, "I'm not going anywhere with you!" she said stubbornly, "Ya don't 'ave a choice luv" he told her, "Now follow!" he began to walk along the corridor, Cass stood for a moment and then sighed, knowing she would most likely be made to come anyway, so she began to follow the Knave along the corridor._

Hazel was sitting in the front of the car as her mother drove back from dropping Henry off at Archie's, she sighed slightly as she leaned her head against the window, "Why did I have to come anyway?" she asked her mother, "Because for now I want you where I can see you" she said firmly, Hazel rolled her eyes and said nothing more. As they drove along the road the ground suddenly began to shake violently - making it feel like a earthquake, Hazel screamed as the car swerved and Regina slammed on the brakes, "Are you alright?" she asked and Hazel nodded shakily, "What was that?" she said fearfully, "I don't know but I'm going to find out" Regina replied as she began to drive again, Hazel looked out of the car as they drove to see loads of people rushing about worriedly, most of them heading in the same direction the car was headed.

They eventually arrived at the old mining tunnels, Hazel could see loads of people milling about, trying to find out what was going on. Regina parked the car and got out, "Stay in the car" she said firmly before hurrying off towards the scene, "Everyone step back please" she called as she went over to the crowd, Hazel took her seat belt off and heightened herself, trying to get a better look but the crowd was blocking her view, she then opened the car door and slowly crept out, she went over to where the crowd was gathered noticing everyone around her were talking frantically to one another, she could barely make out what they were saying, she looked over at the scene and saw what all the commotion was about; one of the mines looked as though it had collapsed, Emma and Graham then appeared beside her and Regina walked on over to them, "Sheriff, set up a police perimeter. Marco, why don't you help the fire department? Miss Swan, this is now official town business. Your free to go" she said, so far she hadn't registered Hazel standing there, "Well, actually I work for the town now" Emma said pointedly, "She's my new deputy" Graham explained, "They say the mayor's always last to know" Regina said after a long pause, "It's in my budget" Graham replied, "Indeed" Regina then looked at Emma, "Deputy, why don't you make yourself useful and help with crowd control?" she ordered, Regina then spotted Hazel, "Hazel! I told you to wait in the car" she said firmly, "I wanted to see" she replied eagerly, "No! It's dangerous, now get in the car!" Hazel sighed and climbed on back into the car.

She watched and listened as Regina announced to the crowd, "People of Storybooke, don't be alarmed. We've always known this area was honey combed with old mining tunnels, but fear not. I'm going to undertake a project that will make this area safe, to rehabilitate it for city use. We will bulldoze it, collapse it, pave it" Hazel had rolled the window down to listen at what her mother was saying, "Pave it!" came Henry's voice from the crowd and Hazel strained to catch sight of him, "What if there's something down there?" Hazel could just make out Regina bending down in front of Henry, she spoke quietly to him for a moment before turning back to the crowd, "In fact everyone please, please, step back. Thank you." the crowd then began to clear the area a little and Hazel could see clearly now, she frowned noticing her mother bend down to pick something up off the ground and then pocket it, Regina then walked over to where Henry and Emma were, "Henry, enough" she said moving over to him and taking him aside so they were a few feet from the car, "Listen, this is a safety issue now wait in the car with Hazel" she said and turned him towards it, Hazel smiled slightly at her brother as he climbed on into the back, "Hey" she said softly to him.

Henry was watching Regina walk away and then he crept out of the car again and hid slightly behind the bonnet, Hazel frowned and got out beside him, "Hey, Archie" Henry called quietly, "Over here" Henry then crept on over to the Sheriff's car, Hazel followed behind and then Archie came over, followed by Emma, "This requires all of Operation Cobra... both of you" Henry said to them, Hazel frowned slightly, completely baffled, "I didn't realize I was in Operation Cobra" Archie said surprised, "Of course you are, you know everything. We can't let her do this. What if there's something down there?" Hazel looked at them all, completely bewildered, "They're just some old tunnels" Emma said, "That just happen to collapse right after you get here? Your changing things. Your weakening the Curse" Henry replied, "That's not what's happening" Emma said doubtfully, "Yes it is. Did you do anything different today? Cause something made this happen" Hazel looked at all three of them, "What are you on about?" she asked, puzzled but before anyone could answer Regina called from behind them, "Henry! Hazel!" she said firmly, "I told you two to wait in the car! You should know better than to let him wonder off Hazel!" she added, "He went out, what was I supposed to do let him go off on his own" Hazel replied as she followed Henry back to the car just as she heard Regina say "Deputy, do your job" Hazel climbed back into the front of the car and then turned round to face Henry, "What's all this about?" she asked him curiously, Henry was silent for a moment and then said, "Alright, I'll explain back at the house" Hazel frowned, then a moment later Regina got into the car and they drove home.

 _Cass walked with the Knave to the queens private quarters, he opened the door and announced her arrival then left, Cass watched him leave and then looked round at the queen, she was sitting on the long chair, she smiled at Cass then patted the space next to her and shyly Cass walked over and sat down almost right on the edge of the chair, "Did you sleep well, dear?" she asked kindly, Cass nodded, feeling to shy to speak, "There's no need to be frightened" the queen said with a small laugh, "I won't harm you" Cass then looked up at the queen and let a small smile escape her, "Thank you...Your Majesty" she said quietly, "For letting me stay here" the queen smiled, "Oh my dear child, call me Cora" she replied, "And your very welcome". There was silence for a moment and then the queen took Cass' hand and they stood up, "Stand there for a moment dear" she said, Cass did as she was told and stood still while Cora looked her up and down, "Perhaps something a little...prettier" she said, with a flick of her hand, purple smoke began to form around Cass, the girl looked at it, completely unfazed, as she was familiar with this kind of magic. Once the smoke had cleared Cass found herself wearing a simple but beautiful long red dress, her shoes had changed to elegant red slippers and her hair was now tied back into a elegant French plait. Cass looked up at the queen and there was silence for a moment, "You seem unfazed by magic, my dear" Cora said, Cass nodded "There is a lot around in the Enchanted Forest" she explained, "Particular where I live, your...eh...Cora" Cass looked down at her dress again and then back up at Cora, "Why am I to wear a dress like this?" she asked as politely as she could, Cora smiled as she walked on over to the girl and placed her hand on her shoulder, "Because my dear, I have a very important event, and you are going to attend it with me" she explained, Cass just stared at Cora, completely puzzled by this request._

True to his word, as soon as they got home Henry and Hazel ran straight upstairs to his bedroom, they both sat down on the bed and Henry took out a large, leather bound book from his bag. Hazel recognized it, as the book Emma had brought to him at the 'castle' and she also knew it was Mary Margaret who has given it to him, Henry opened the book and began to flick through the pages, "This book" he began "It's more than just a book" Hazel stared at him in bewilderment, "What do you mean?" she asked, "Every story in this book actually happened, their true" Hazel said nothing but looked at him doubtfully, "Henry..." she said, "Look, I'll prove it" he told her before flicking through the pages and stopping on a page that showed the illustration of a young girl riding a grey horse in a forest, Hazel stared down at the page "It's you" Henry said and Hazel's head shot up, she stared at him for a moment and then back at the page, frowning. She then shook herself, no it was probably just a coincidence, there's noway any of this could be true but she decided to go along with it, not wanting to dampen her brothers spirits, "Alright, so who am I really?" she asked, Henry looked down at the book "I'm not sure really..." he admitted, "You always appear very vaguely in the book and then for some reason you kind of...disappear all together" Hazel stared at him, "Okay...so what you're saying is, a bunch of fairytale characters were cursed here by the evil queen who just so happens to be our mother" she said, Henry smiled brightly, "I knew you'd get it" he said cheerfully, Hazel sighed to herself wanting to say how ridiculous this all sounded, but again she knew she couldn't dampen Henry's belief, "Look, take the book and read it" Henry said as he passed Hazel the book, "Then maybe you will believe" Hazel wanted to say there was no chance in that but again she restrained herself and took the book from her brother, "Alright" she said, "I'll read it, now you should get some sleep" Henry smiled brightly still and Hazel kissed her brother on the head, "Night, Henry" she whispered before standing up, the book tucked gently under her arm and went out. 

Next day, Hazel was sitting in the garden on the swing chair reading Henry's book, her mother had taken Henry to his therapy session and then went straight to the office. Hazel had always loved reading, she sometimes wondered where she had got it from, because it certainly was not from her mother, she supposed Henry did enjoy reading too, but then he was only an adoptive brother. As she read her phone began to vibrate beside her and the ringtone sounded, Hazel picked it up and looked at the caller ID to see her mothers number on the screen, she waited a moment before answering, "Hello?" she said, "Hazel?" came her mothers voice from the other end sounding worried, "Is Henry at home?" Hazel sat bolt up, "No...I haven't seen him" she responded feeling panicked herself now, ""He's missing" Regina replied, "Can you think where he might go?" Hazel dug in the back of her mind, trying to think and then feeling like a stone had dropped into the pit of her stomach, she remembered Henry going on about how there might be something hidden down in the mine, "No...he wouldn't" she whispered to herself but still talking into the mouth piece, "What?" Regina asked over the phone, but Hazel said nothing and in her haste she dropped the phone onto the grass, placed the book down on the seat and ran along the garden and out through the trees, she knew a short cut to the old mines and if she ran quick enough she might just get there in time.

 _The event Cora had spoke of turned out to be a gathering of, wealthy people. Cass wondered around the large room trying her best to make small talk whenever she could, though she had never been very good in social situations, she also noticed Cora keeping a close watch on her, probably to make sure she didn't try and sneak out, which Cass knew would be a very stupid thing to attempt, for there were guards stationed at every door, Cass wondered out onto the balcony for fresh air, she stood at the edge staring out at the view and began thinking of her father; What was he doing right now? Was he looking for her? Would he be angry? Worried? Disappointed? Cass sighed to herself as she pondered these thoughts, "You know you shouldn't be out 'ere" came a voice behind her and Cass spun round to find the Knave standing at the door, "I need some fresh air" she told him, the Knave nodded "Even so, the queen has requested you stay inside" Cass frowned slightly, "How did you end up so far in her pocket? You act like you would do anything in the world for her" she said almost stubbornly, the Knave said nothing for a moment, "She 'elp me" he explained "So I'm repaying tha' debt" Cass frowned slightly "Helped you, with what?" she asked, "She helped release me...from something" he said, Cass watched him for a moment, studying his face then slowly walked over to him and held up her hand, placing it on his chest, there was nothing. Cass shot her hand away and looked up at him, "She...she took your heart?" she said softly, "That's why you do everything she says, she controls you" the Knave said nothing to this and went back to his professional manner, "Ya must come back inside" he ordered, Cass stared at him "Why...why would you let her take it?" she asked, she knew what it was like seeing a heart ripped from your chest, she'd witnessed it many times before, "I asked her to" the Knave said simply, Cass stared at him incredulously, "You...you what?" she said in utter shock, "Why would you do that?" again the Knave said nothing in response to the question,"That's my business" he said simply "Now, come inside" he then turned and walked back into the room, Cass watched him for a moment before following._

Hazel arrived at the mine and she weaved her way through the police tape that had been set up around the entrance, she then made her way slowly inside, "Henry?" she called out as she carefully walked further into the mine, she then saw a light up ahead and went towards it, "Henry? Is that you?" she called and then stopped as Henry spun round in front of her, "Come on, we have to get out of here" she said desperately, Henry said nothing and continued to walk on, Hazel bit her lip and then followed him, Henry was shining his flash light everywhere in front of him, he then picked up a glass shaped object and examined it. Just then the ground began to shake and small rocks fell from above, "Henry! Please! We have to get out of here." Hazel cried, more scared now, she then grabbed her brothers hand and pulled him back the way they had come, the ground was still shaking beneath them. Then all was still and Hazel heard a voice from up ahead, "Henry?" they turned the corner, "Archie!" Hazel gasped in relief, they would be safe now, "Archie! Your here to help me!" Henry cried excitedly, "No, I...Listen, we gotta get out of here"Archie said, "So your still against me" Henry replied back, "Henry, there's no time for that. Come on Henry, come on!" Archie replied more desperately now, "What are you playing at Henry, it's to dangerous down here?" Hazel said worriedly, "You don't believe me? You'll see. You'll see" he cried before running off deeper into the mine, "Henry!" Hazel and Archie shouted together, "We can't let him go alone" Hazel said before running off after her brother, "Hazel! Henry! Come back!" Archie cried but she ignored him and continued running, then after a moment heard Archie following after her.

Hazel ran on after Henry, he then stopped and shone his flash light through a small gap, Hazel then heard Archie coming up behind them, "Henry? Hazel? Henry! Hazel! You gotta slow down" he said as he reached them, "There's something shiny down there" Henry said, as he continued to peer through the gap, "Henry, this is seriously dangerous. We gotta get out of here" Archie said desperately, "It could be something" Henry said insistent, "Look, I'm frightened for you, Henry. For both of you" Henry and Hazel both looked round, "Because you think I'm crazy?!" Henry said, "No! No, because we are trapped underground in an abounded mine, Henry, and there is no way out." Archie said, Hazel then stared at him in fear at this last statement, she went over to Henry and put her arm around him comfortingly, "It'll be okay" she said softly to him and then looked at Archie, he then nodded and began to walk on, Hazel followed still holding Henry close.

They walked along the tunnel then suddenly Hazel thought she could hear something, "Listen. Hear that" she said putting her finger to her lips. There was the sound of distant barking, "It's Pongo!" Henry cried as he dashed onwards out of Hazel's grip, "Follow the noise" Archie said and they all ran onwards. They ran until they came to a part in the tunnel that was covered with metal and wood, "It's loud. It's over here" Archie said, "What's this?" Henry asked, Archie removed a metal sheet, "It's like, an old elevator" he said, "To get the mine workers in or out. It goes all the way to the top. That's why we can hear Pongo" Hazel and Henry both watched as Archie examined the elevator, "Can you make it work?" Henry asked, "It looks like it hasn't been used in years"Hazel said uncertainly, Archie took hold of Hazel and Henry and placed them into the elevator, "Lets give it a shot!" Archie said, Hazel put her arm around Henry as they sat inside and Archie turned the wheel trying to get it working, "Come on!" Archie cried, Hazel then got up and tried helping him. Finally the elevator began to move slightly, Hazel smiled "It's working!" she cried. Suddenly there was a huge explosion from above and the whole place shook violently, Hazel screamed and ducked down to Henry, shielding him from harm, Archie placed himself on top of them both as the whole elevator dropped a little.

They sat in silence for a while, Henry pointing his flashlight upwards, Hazel sighed as she leaned her head against the elevator, "I'm really, really, really sorry" Henry said as he sat down beside Hazel and she put her arm around him, "It's alright" she said, "I just wanted to find proof" Henry explained, "No, It's really alright, Henry" Archie said, "You know, I'm sorry too. Okay, I don't think you're crazy. I just, I just think that you've got a very strong mother, who's got a clear idea of a path she wants you both to be on. When either of you step off that, she, she is scared. You know, it's natural. But, it's also natural for you to be able to be free, to think the things that you want to think. So, anyway, I didn't mean those things I said to you. I never should of said them" Hazel looked at Archie and then at Henry, "Alright, way did you?" Henry asked, "I guess I'm not a nice person" Archie said, Hazel stared at Archie again. She couldn't believe he had called her little brother 'crazy', I mean yeah she didn't believe what he was saying was real but at least she went along with it, "I'm not the man I wanna be" Archie said sadly. Suddenly the elevator shook violently again, Hazel gasped and clung on tighter to Henry.

"I think you can be him" Henry said after a long pause, "I think you can be a good person" Hazel looked from Henry to Archie, "I mean, you're Jiminy Cricket" Henry added, "Henry, Henry, Jiminy Cricket was a, was a cricket, okay? He was a conscience, and I hardly think that's me" Archie said, "But before he was that, he was a guy, who took a long time to figure out the right thing to do" Henry explained, "He kinda sounds like me" Archie admitted, Hazel smiled slightly "Now it's harder for you, because of the curse, to hear the voice inside of you, to be who you wanna be". There was another violent shake, Hazel looked upwards, her arms still around her little brother. A couple of rocks fell from above and Hazel squinted her eyes and then shook her head slightly, "Hey, can I ask you again?" Archie said, "Ask what?" Henry said, "Why do you think it's so important that your, your fairytale theory is true?" Archie asked, Hazel looked round at Henry interestedly, "I don't know" Henry said simply, "Give it a shot" Archie said, Henry took out a couple of candy bars from his bag and handed them out to Archie and Hazel, "Cause, this can't be all there is" Henry said, "I understand" Archie said, "I thought if I found proof...But I didn't find anything" Henry said, "That's not true. I was lost and you found me" Archie said, "You mean, you remember?" Henry said excitedly, "No, I don't remember. But I do remember the person I wanna to be, I just gotta listen harder" Hazel smiled and then glanced down thinking to herself.

Suddenly there was a light from up above followed by tiny rocks falling and they all looked upwards, "What's that?" Henry said, "It's a rescue" Archie replied hopefully and they all stood up, "You guys okay?" came the sound of Emma's voice, "Emma?" Hazel cried, "Yeah, we're okay" Archie said, "Hazel?" Emma said confused, but then snapped back into action, "Hang on" she cried down to them and then spoke into a wakkie talkie "Okay, that's good, stop" Emma then opened the hatch of the elevator, "Henry should go first" Hazel said, Archie nodded and lifted Henry up to Emma, "Come on, I got you. Okay" Emma said as she took hold of Henry, "I got him" she called down to Archie and Hazel, "You got him, is he safe?" Archie said. Suddenly the elevator shook violently again, Hazel screamed and Archie put his arm tightly around her, "Archie! Hazel!" Emma cried, "It's gonna fall!" Archie exclaimed, Hazel screamed again as she held on tightly to Archie, "I'm sorry!" Emma cried, Hazel looked up at them, "It's okay!" Archie cried out, one arm still tight around Hazel. The elevator began to fall, "Archie! Hazel!" Emma and Henry both cried, Hazel shut her eyes tightly as they descended, waiting for the crash. She heard it but felt no impact, Hazel opened her eyes and looked up. Archie had managed to link the handle of his umbrella onto the clip of Emma's harness, one hand held tightly on the handle while the other still around Hazel, and she kept her arms wrapped around him, she smiled and gave a sigh of relief and looked up at Emma and Henry smiling cheerfully, "You did it!" she said to Archie.

They were pulled up to the surface and Hazel blinked rapidly as the sunlight caught her eyes. There was the sound of applause as they were all settled down on the ground and Regina came rushing over to Henry and Hazel, hugging them both, she then took them aside, again Hazel put her arm around her little brother as Regina fussed over them, Emma came rushing over, "Are you two okay?" she said as she bent down in front of Henry, "Deputy, you can clear the crowd away" Regina said simply, pushing Emma back, Hazel glanced at Emma sadly then Regina brought both Hazel and Henry away from the site, she left them both at the side before going on over to Archie, "Thank you, Dr Hopper" she said gratefully, "I, uh, I have something to say" Archie said and then they went off to talk privately

Later on Hazel was sitting with Henry and Emma by one of the ditches, "Is that Archie's father?" Emma asked as they stared over at Archie and Marco talking and laughing together, "No, they are just old friends" Henry replied "You really scared me" Emma said to him, as she took his hand gently, "I'm sorry" Henry said and Hazel smiled as she put her arm around Henry. Archie and Marco then came over to them, "Gentleman" Emma said "Well, come on, your mum whats to take you both home" they all stood up, "Hey! Listen!" Henry cried. Everyone was silent for a moment and Hazel frowned slightly, "What?" she asked "Crickets" Archie said with a smile, "They're back. Things are changing" Henry said, Hazel frowned and looked over at Archie who smiled and then at Emma who look a little puzzled, they all got up and made their way back over towards the crowd.


	6. Chapter 6

Fairytale land: Italics

Storybrooke: normal

 _Cass wondered around the gardens with Cora. Neither of them said anything for a while and Cass was still thinking about what she had discovered the night before about the Knave, 'Why on earth would he want to have his heart ripped out, willingly' she kept thinking over and over again. Eventually Cora finally spoke which snapped Cass out of her thoughts, "So dear, did you enjoy yourself last night?" she asked kindly, Cass looked round and smiled slightly, "It was a lovely evening" he replied politely, "Was everyone nice?" Cora asked and Cass nodded, "Good, because if they were not, you know there are ways for fixing this" Cass said nothing to this, she knew very well what that meant. She remembered the many times her father had punished someone horrifically with his magic if they harmed her. It's not that she didn't like how he look out for her but she hated his methods of dealing with the situations._

 _They came to the start of a huge maze, it looked about 50feet high and the bushes were like thick brick walls. Cass stared into it for a moment, "Come along dear" Cora said as they walked inside. As they stepped over through entrance, behind them the bushes came together and sealed the entrance, Cass looked back, slightly worried now "Not to worry dear" Cora said softly, "I know the way to go" Cass smiled, feeling slightly relieved and then walked with Cora along the path, "Stay away from the edge, dear" Cora explained. After a long time, and a lot of twists and turns they got to the center of the maze. They were standing in a square clearing, and the only thing occupying it was a large, stone building right in the center, Cass stared curiously at it, "Don't worry about that, dear" Cora said "It's just where I keep the things I do not need at hand" Cass looked up at Cora and then back at the building, getting a strange feeling. She couldn't put her finger on it but there was something about the building that made her feel uneasy and if she listened hard enough, she could hear a faint sound of beating coming from inside, almost like, heart beats. And then it dawned on her, Cass moved back slightly "Is everything alright, dear?" Cora asked, noticing her reaction, Cass nodded slowly, "Yes...I'm fine" she said as calmly as she could. There was a silence then, in which time Cora stared at her closely, "Very well, come along dear" she said and began to walk towards another path that lead back into the maze, Cass stayed still for a moment as the realization of what she had found hit her, then as she walked over to Cora and they began to make their way out of the maze, an idea hit her._

Hazel stood at the drinks table, filling up three cups of punch, making up two fruit juice ones and one with alcohol which was for Emma, she then brought them over to Emma and Henry who were in the hallway. They were at Kathryn and David Nolan's house for his welcome home party after he had been released from hospital, of course Regina had been invited, so there for Hazel and Henry were brought along. She stopped in front of Emma and Henry as he was saying, "Right! And now is our chance to help him, we just have to get him to remember that..." "He's Prince Charming" Emma finished, Hazel handed them both their drinks, "What are you two talking about?" she asked them, "We were saying, we just have to jog David's memory to get him to remember who he really is" Henry told her, "And who is he?" Hazel asked, "Prince Charming" Henry said, Hazel smiled slightly, she really did love Henry's imagination and would hate to see it crushed, "We need to get him and Miss Blanchard together" Henry said, "Didn't we just try that?" Emma asked, "And it woke him up" Henry replied.

Just then David came strolling over, "Hey" he said and they looked round, "Your the ones who saved me right?" he asked them, Emma and Henry both stood up "well...yeah...I guess" Emma said, David smiled "And...your also the only ones I know here" David said, "You can hide with us" Emma replied, "Fantastic" David said as he picked up a toothpick from the platter a man had just brought through and stabbed a sausage onto it "Thank you" he said, "So, you ever used a sword?" Henry asked simply, Hazel rolled her eyes slightly and smirked, David laughed "I'm sorry" he said puzzled, "Emma, you live with Mary Margaret right?" he asked, quickly changing the subject, Emma nodded "You know if she's coming tonight?" he asked, "No, she couldn't make it" Emma replied, "Would you like a drink?" Hazel asked David, trying to find a way to take his mind of the subject, David smiled "Sure, why not" he said, Hazel smiled and wondered off back to the drinks table. Once she had poured a cup she was just about to head back to the hall, when Kathryn came into the living room, "Have you seen David?" she asked as she walked over to Dr Whale, Emma and Henry, "Eh...he" Emma said as she looked towards the corridor to discover David was no longer there, "No" Dr Whale said, Hazel frowned slightly wondering where on earth he had gone, but just then Regina came through to the living room, "Hazel, Henry. Time to go" she said simply and then she walked towards the door, Hazel went after her and Henry followed on behind, they got into the car and they drove off home.

 _Cass was wondering around the palace, taking in every detail of it. She often like doing this in new places, she knew the whole of the castle back home inside out and plus she wanted to know everything, so that if she went ahead with her plan she knew it would succeed. Cass soon came across a room that brought joy to her heart. A library. She instantly rushed in and began scanning through all the titles, she had read almost every book in her library back home, she just loved to read, her Papa would tell her she got that from her mother. As she browsed through the rows of books, she hadn't noticed Cora enter the room. She watched the girl closely for a moment before speaking, "You like to read?" she asked her, Cass spun round at the voice, she smiled slightly "Yes. Back home there is a library filled with books, I've read almost all of them" she said, Cora smiled back and said nothing for a moment, she walked on over to Cass and touched the girls hair softly, "You are very special girl, Cass" she said kindly, Cass blushed slightly and glanced at the ground, "I'm...really not that special" she said quietly, "Of course you are, dear" Cora replied and then paused for a moment, "There is magic in you" Cass snapped her head up at this, a look of worry on her face, Cora laughed softly "That is nothing to worry about" she told her "You just have to learn to control the power" Cass glanced down again, she wanted to tell her that she had no intention of using magic, she had seen to many situations involving magic, most of which ended badly. Her father would always remind her that 'all magic comes with a price' Cass said of what she was thinking and there was silence for a moment, "I could teach you, dear" Cora said to her, Cass looked up again "That's kind of you, but I really have no intention of learning magic" Cass explained, Cora smiled "You will think different once you try" she said "The first time you use magic, you know you never want to stop. How about just one lesson? If you are still not interested, then I promise I will never speak of it again" Cass looked down, thinking for a moment and then sighed "I suppose, one lesson wouldn't hurt" she said and Cora smiled, "Wonderful" she said brightly, "We'll start tomorrow. Now I will leave you alone to read" and with that she turned and walked back out of the room, Cass just stood there in the middle of the room, for the first time in her life she was in no mood to read._

The bell rang, signalling the end of class. Hazel packed up her books into her bag and walked with her friends out into the corridor and over to her locker. As she stood chatting and placing books from her bag to her locker she looked round to see David walking along the corridor, she frowned slightly wondering what on earth he was doing at her school, he noticed her and came on over, "Hey, Hazel right?" he asked, she nodded "Do you know where I can find Mary Mar...Miss Blanchard's class?" he asked her, Hazel nodded "Down the hall, turn left and its the room at the end" she explained, David smiled "Thank you" he said before strolling off, "Wasn't that the coma guy?" her friend asked, Hazel nodded distractedly, "What is he doing here? Are he and Miss Blanchard involved?" her friend said, Hazel shook her head "No, I don't think so...besides he's married" she replied, "Come on, we'll be late for class" Hazel added before shutting her locker and heading on up the corridor with her friends.

Later on Hazel was sitting in the garden, reading one of her favorite books. She had given the 'Once Upon a Time' book back to Henry, but she still kept up the whole believing him act. Hazel was sat on the swing seat as she read her book by flashlight, for it was starting to get dark. Every so often she would glance up at her mothers window to make sure she hadn't seen her. As she rocked herself back and forth she became absorbed in the story. Just then she heard a noise from the house and looked to see a figure climbing out of her mothers bedroom window, she frowned slightly and strained her eyes to see, she considered for a moment shining the flashlight up but then decided against it and instead turned off the torch and sneaked over towards the bushes so she could get a better look at the person without being seen. She waited as the person came into view, she frowned realizing it was Graham. Hazel stared at him for a moment and then up at her mothers window, then it hit her. She cringed at the idea of her mother and Graham together. I mean she got that grown ups got together like that, but the thought of her mother in that kind of relationship was just to gross to think about. As quietly as she could she crept back across the garden and into the house, stopping off in the kitchen to grab herself a glass of milk and then quietly and slowly made her way upstairs and into her bedroom. 

_The next day Cass was with Cora in the queens private quarters. Cora had just conjured up a fire in the stone grate, she then put it out again with a wave of her hand and turned to Cass, "Now it's your turn" she said simply, Cass looked at Cora who was sitting on the long arm chair and then at the grate, she sighed softly and closed her eyes tight trying to create a fire, she opened them again and saw nothing, "I'm sorry...I can't do it" she said looking back round at Cora, "Just keep trying, it'll come" she said calmly, "It all starts with a respect for the power itself, and then the belief that you deserve such power" Cass looked back round at the grate, thinking for a moment, "Can I ask something?" she said shyly, "Of course, dear" Cora said kindly, "What's so special about...magic" Cass asked curiously. She had never understood why everyone seemed so driven to have magic, particularly her father, she had never asked him this question of course, though she would of liked to, Cora smiled at the girl, "You have it to get whatever you want" she answered simply, Cass glanced down slightly "Anything?" she asked curiously, "Almost. There are a few restrictions of the laws of magic" Cora explained and Cass looked round again, "Things not even the strongest magic can accomplish. You can't bring back the dead, you can't make someone love you, you can't change the past." Cass glanced over at the grate thinking to herself, "And can the laws be broken?" she asked, "No! They can not!" Cora answered rather firmly, Cass continued to stare at the grate, she then heard Cora stand up and walk over to her, "Somethings holding you back" she said and Cass turned to face her, "I...it's just" she said unable to form words "Your afraid, what is it?" Cora said softly, taking the girls hands gently, "I...don't know...it's just...I've been around magic my whole life and...I've seen so much of it go wrong...I guess...I'm afraid that if I start to use it...something bad will happen" Cass admitted, she had not meant to reveal so much but something was pulling it out of her, Cora placed her hand on the girls chin and lift her head up, "Whoever it was that made you feel this way, you need to take that pain, the fear that they were right and use it. Is the root of your power, let it drive the magic and prove them wrong" she explained, Cass fixed her eyes on Cora as she spoke and then looked round at the grate again and took a deep breath, she shut her eyes, concentrating as hard as she could, trying to make it work. After several more failed attempts Cass then finally gave up and let herself fall to the floor, "I don't understand...it's like...I can feel it inside me but...it won't come out" she tried to explain, Cora came over to her again and took her hand, lifting Cass to her feet, "We'll try again tomorrow, dear" she said softly, Cass gave a small smile and glanced down, "You really are a special girl" Cora said "Don't let anyone tell you otherwise" there was a pause then and Cass continued to look down at the ground, "You know my own daughter has been...rather a disappointment to me" Cora went on and Cass looked up at this, "You have a daughter?" she asked curiously, Cora smiled "Yes, however we never could see eye to eye about things. You, you are exactly the kind of girl I would be proud to call my own" Cass blushed slightly and looked down, "I trust your parents are proud of you?" Cora said, Cass looked up again "Parent. It's only me and my Papa, my mother died when I was small" Cass explained, "Oh, how awful" Cora replied "You must miss her very much" Cass looked up now "I never really knew her, but my Papa would tell me stories about her" Cora smiled "Sometimes, stories are better than memories" she said, Cass smiled "Even though my Papa is away a lot, I still miss him so much, I just want to find a way back home to him, at least just to say I'm sorry" Cass said and then Cora stroked the girls hair gently,"Oh my dear sweet girl, I'm sure you will" she said softly "Besides, I have already started making arrangements for finding a way" Cass looked up and smiled, "Really?" she said hopefully, Cora smiled "Of course dear, I promised didn't I?" Cass smiled brightly now, for the first time since being sent to Wonderland she felt hope._

Hazel was sitting at in the living room looking through one of her school books, trying to work out a difficult equation, she then heard the door bell ring and went over to answer it. When she opened the door she found Graham standing there, her mind flashed back to him climbing out of the window, the idea still grossed her out but she pushed it aside and smiled, "Hey Sheriff" she said "My mums not here" she explained, "Actually...I'm here to see Henry, is he in?" Graham asked, Hazel frowned slightly and nodded, she called for Henry and he came on over to the door, "Hey Sheriff" he said, "Hey Henry, I was hoping you could help me" Graham said, Hazel frowned as she listened, "Help you with what?" he asked, "It's about you book" Graham said slowly, Hazel did a double take at this, suddenly curious, "Am I...in it?" he asked, Hazel's eyebrows raised in shock, 'what on earth was going on?' she thought to herself. Henry led Graham into the house and up to his room, Hazel wanted to follow but her brain just couldn't take anymore fairytale stuff right now, so instead she went back into the living room and got on with her homework.

 _It had been several weeks since Cass had ended up in Wonderland, she was still living at the palace. Cass would spend most of her time in the huge library pouring through the thousands of books. If she wasn't busy reading in a corner, she would wander around the gardens, taking in everything. This was particularly important if she wanted her plan to succeed, she needed to know every little detail, right down to the routine of the guards. Nothing could go wrong._

Hazel was walking around town in a complete haze. Even though it had been a couple of weeks now she still couldn't get over the shock of it. Graham was dead. It was to big to comprehend but it was true. Hazel had liked Graham, he had almost been like a father figure to herself and Henry, he seemed to always be there when they needed him and now he was gone. As she walked she saw Emma up ahead coming out of the Sheriffs office and going over to the car, Hazel ran up to her, "Hey Emma" she said with a half smile, "Hey Hazel, sorry I can't talk, I've got a call" she told her, Hazel nodded "Want some company?" she asked, "Sure why not" Emma said, "Hop in" Emma climbed into the car and Hazel got into the passenger side and they drove off.

They soon stopped outside Mr Gold's shop, Hazel looked round at the building and then at Emma, "What's going on?" she asked curiously, "I got a call in by Gold" Emma explained, "You coming in or you wanna stay here?" she asked, Hazel then undid her seat belt and got out of the car and they both walked into the shop, Hazel a little behind Emma, "Gold? You in here?" Emma called out and then made her way towards the back of the shop, Hazel followed behind. As soon as they went through they got a whiff of something strong and disgusting. Hazel winced and put her hand to her nose and mouth, "Whoa! What is that?" Emma said, clearly as disgusted as Hazel was, "Oh, this is lanolin used for waterproofing" Mr Gold explained, Hazel raised her eyebrows slightly, "Smells like livestock" Emma said "Well, it is the reason why sheep's pelt repel water" Mr Gold said simply, "It stinks" Hazel said, Mr Gold looked over at her, "Hello, Hazel" he said with a kind smile, Hazel tried to return the smile but the smell was reaching her eyes now, "Um. If there was a reason why you called the Sheriff's department. If you wanna talk about that quickly or...outside" Emma said, "I just wanted to express my condolences, really" Mr Gold said, Hazel looked round at this and felt a stab in her heart as she thought of Graham again, "The Sheriff was a good man. Your still wearing the deputy's badge? Well he's been gone two weeks now. And I believe after two weeks as acting as Sheriff the job becomes yours. You'll have to wear the real badge" Mr Gold said, Hazel looked from one to the other still trying to ignore the strong smell, "Yeah, I guess...I'm just not in a hurry" Emma replied "So um...thank you for the kind words" Emma then turned to go out and Hazel followed, more than happy to leave, glad to get away from the smell. They both went back through to the shop, "I have his things" Mr Gold said, appearing from behind the curtain "What?" Emma asked, "The Sheriff. He rented an apartment that I own. Another reason for my call really, I wanted to offer you a keepsake" Mr Gold explained, "I don't need anything" Emma said simply, "As you wish. Hazel why don't you take them to your mother? Seems like she was the closet thing he had to family" Hazel glanced down slightly, "Not sure about that" Emma said as she walked back over to the counter, Hazel came up behind her, "No love lost there, I see" Mr Gold said "Look, I fear that all this stuff is headed directly for the trash bin. You really should take something" Hazel glanced at Emma and then looked into the box as Mr Gold began rummaging through the items, "Look! His jacket?" he said holding up Graham's leather jacket, Emma shook her head slightly, "No" she said sadly "Look! Your boy might like these, don't you think?" he said holding up a set of radios, Hazel glanced at Emma again, "You could play together" Mr Gold added, Emma shook her head again, "I don't..." she began, "No, please. They grow up so fast" Mr Gold said as he placed the radios down on the counter, Emma reached over and took them, "Thanks" she said "You enjoy these with your boy. Your time together is precious, you know. That's the thing about children. Before you know it, you loose them" Hazel frowned, she could of sworn that Mr Gold glanced in her direction for a little longer then necessary. she then heard Emma turn to leave, Hazel was about to follow when something caught her eye in the box, there was a news paper clipping with a picture of Graham, Cass had to hold back the tears as she stared at the picture "See something you like, dear?" Mr Gold asked, Hazel shook herself and looked away from the box, "No...nothing" she said as she looked up at Mr Gold, "I...I gotta go" she said and turned to leave, subtlety wiping away a tear that rolled down her cheek.

 _Everything was set. The plan was ready, now all she had to do was wait till night fall to make her move. As she waited it was as though time was ticking away very slowly, every time she looked at the clock, hardly anytime had passed. Eventually the time came and she readied herself for the challenge. The first part was going to be tricky, she would have to wait for the exact moment and it would have to be timed just right. Getting what she needed would hopefully be the easy part but she was going to have to be subtle and very very quiet._

Later on Hazel was sitting in the diner with Henry as they both drank their hot cocos, Hazel could tell there was something upsetting her brother, but she knew him well enough to know when he wasn't wanting to talk. As they sat, there was a sudden shout from outside and the next minute Leroy came running into the building shouting, "FIRE! FIRE!" everyone turned to face him, "There's a fire at city hall!" he cried, Hazel's eyes went wide, she knew her mother was working late tonight, she looked at Henry who had the same expression and instantly they both sprang to their feet and rushed out with everybody else.

They arrived in no time at all to see Emma and Regina standing a few feet from the burning building, both coughing and choking from the smoke, there were fire engines scattered around and the men were working on getting the fire out, a few minutes later an ambulance arrived and the paramedics rushed out and tended to Emma and Regina. Hazel walked over to Emma when the paramedics were finished, "What happened?" she asked worriedly, "I don't know...the fire was just there" Emma replied, Mary Margaret then came over with Archie, Ruby and Granny, "Did you really rescue Regina?" Mary Margret asked, completely stunned, Henry then came running over, "She did! The fireman said it. They saw it" he said excitedly, "You are a hero" Ruby exclaimed, "We should see if they have a picture of the rescue" Mary Margaret said, "We could make campaign posters" Granny added, "Oh, people would love that! That's a great idea" Archie said, "I could make them on my laptop" Hazel added as she then wondered off with the others to discuss it, leaving Emma and Henry alone.

 _Cass was inside the huge maze hiding behind the hedges. She kept her distance from them remember what Cora had told her. She watched the four guards by the vault and then began to count to ten slowly under her breath, sure enough as she reached ten the guards began marching off, two went in one direction and the others went the opposite way. Once they had their backs to Cass she sprinted out and ran full pelt over to a large tree, she hid there for a moment and then heard the sound of more footsteps, as the guards began marching back round, as they past her hiding place Cass edged around the tree and went up behind the end one and took the keys from his belt. The guards then stood to attention and Cass froze for a moment, she counted to three and then as the guards turned to face the front she dart behind a pillar by the building. She counted to three again, two of the guards stepped forwards into position, she smirked and slid behind them and then darted over to the door of the vault and placed the key in the lock. She turned the key just in time as two of the guards turned and moved again, she quickly shut the door behind her and then turned around to look into the room._

It was the day of the election and Hazel was on her way to city hall with Regina and Henry. She had spend the whole of yesterday making up campaign posters to support Emma and then distributed them out to everyone to pin up. She did not do this part herself of course for she knew her mother would NOT approve of it. They arrived and made their way in, "I'm gonna grab some water, anyone want some?" she said, Regina shook her head but Henry said yes, Hazel nodded and went over to the water machine and poured out two cups, "Good posters, Hazel" someone said beside her, "You really have talent on that computer of yours" she smiled, "Thanks" she replied as she turned and began to head on over to her mother and Henry, she then gasped as she nearly ran straight into someone, "Oh! Sorry" she said dodging the water away before it spilled, she looked up to see Mr Gold standing there, "That's quite alright, dear" he told her, she smiled slightly, "Sorry...I wasn't looking" she said, Mr Gold gave a small nod and Hazel smiled back before heading on down the aisle towards the front where Regina and Henry were, she handed her brother one of the cups and then took a sip of her own.

When everyone had taken their seats, the curtain on the stage was drawn back, revealing Archie standing at the podium in the middle of the stage with Sydney and Emma seated either side of him, "Tragedy has brought us here, but we are faced with this decision. And now, we ask only that you listen with a open mind and please vote your conscience" Archie began "So, without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to the candidates - Sydney Glass and Emma Swan. Glass. Swan. Sounds like something that a decorator would make you buy" he joked and gave a small laugh, there was silence around the hall "Wow crickets" he said softly, "Okay, um...Mr Glass - your opening statement" he went on and stood back from the podium.

Sydney then stood up and walked on over to the podium, "I just wanna say" Sydney began "That if elected I want to serve as a refection of the best qualities of Storybrooke: Honesty. Neighborliness. And strength. Thank you" there was a round of applause as Sydney sat back down, Hazel did a slow clap, knowing that whole speech was her mothers words. Archie walked back to the podium, "And Emma Swan" he said and stepped away.

Emma walked up to the podium and Hazel sat up eagerly now, "You guys all know I have what they call a troubled past. But, you've been able to overlook it because of the um, hero thing. But here's the thing: The fire was a set up" Hazel's eyes went wide and there was an utter of gasps from around the room, "Mr Gold agreed to support me in this race, but I didn't know that meant he was going to set the fire. I don't have definitive evidence but I'm sure. And the worst part of all this was- The worst part of all this is I let you all think it was real. I can't win that way. I'm sorry" Hazel glanced over at Henry, she then heard movement behind and she looked up the aisle to see Mr Gold walking off towards the door. Hazel then looked towards the stage to see Emma going off and then over at Henry again, she then glanced up at her mother to see a small smirk on her face, Hazel frowned slightly. Henry then got up and walked off, Hazel followed him, "Hey" she said softly, "You okay?" Henry gave a small nod, "Listen, no matter what happens in the election think of it this way, she was really brave to stand up to Mr Gold. Nobody's ever done that before" Henry then smiled slightly, "Your right" he said, cheering up a little, "Come on, lets got find Emma" she said taking Henry's hand and leading him out

 _In front of Cass were rows of drawers, she stared at them, "Okay...if I were the Knaves heart, what drawer would I be in?" she whispered to herself as she scanned each one carefully. Each drawer had a letter and number stamped on the middle, Cass stood puzzled, wondering what on earth it meant. Then it hit her. "It's a deck of cards" she whispered to herself as she looked more closely at them, "Three of Hearts...Seven of Spades...K...K...No, K would be for king...So what's Knave?...He'd be...Jack of all Trades" she said excitedly as she spotted a drawer labelled J.H for Jack of Heart. Cass went over to it and lifted her hand to open the drawer. She didn't even touch it when the drawer magically opened. She was startled for a moment and then reached into the drawer and lifted out a small wooden box, she opened it and inside was the Knaves glowing red heart, she smirked and then took the heart out of the box and placed it into her leather satchel, she then replaced the box back into the drawer, closed it and turned to make her escape._

Hazel and Henry went to Granny's and found Emma sitting at the counter. They both went in and Emma turned around "Hey Henry, Hazel" she said softly, Henry then reached into his back pack and took out one of the radios Emma had given him, "What's this for?" she asked as Henry handed it to her, "You stood up to Mr Gold" Henry said "That's pretty amazing. Nobody's ever done that before" Hazel added, "Well, he did something illegal" Emma said simply, "That's what heroes do. Expose stuff like that" Henry said, Ruby then came over with a drink for Emma and two glasses of milk for Henry and Hazel, "I shouldn't of given up on Operation Cobra" Henry whispered, Emma smiled slightly. They all took a drink when the door opened, they looked round to see Regina coming in, followed by Sydney, "I thought I might find you here. With a drink. And my kids" Regina said as they both came over to them, Hazel rolled her eyes, "Here to card me, officer?" Emma said to Sydney, "Well, not at all. In fact, I think I'll join you" Sydney answered, Hazel frowned slightly "Here? I don't know. I think they're setting up a backroom for the victory party" Emma said, "Well, you'll have to tell me what that's like" Sydney replied, Hazel frowned still, Regina then held up the Sheriff's badge and placed it down onto the counter, "Congratulations, Sheriff Swan" she said grudgingly, "Wait. What?!" Hazel said surprised, the door opened again, and a couple of other people came in , among them were Mary Margret and Archie, "It was a very close vote. But people really seem to like the idea of a Sheriff brave enough to stand up to Mr Gold" Regina explained, "Are you joking?" Emma said in shock, "Oh she doesn't joke" Hazel said seriously but excitedly, "You didn't pick a great friend in Mr Gold, Miss Swan, but he does make a superlative enemy. Enjoy that!" Regina said and then walked away, Hazel watched her mother walk across the room and then looked at Emma, "Congratulations! I knew you standing up to Mr Gold would pay off" she said, Emma smiled slightly and then took a drink.


	7. Chapter 7

_Fairytale land: Italics_

Storybrooke: Normal

Hazel was browsing around the store, collecting things their mother had told her to pick up while she and Henry were out. She kept glancing over at her brother who was at the front of the shop reading a comic book. She often just let him do his own thing when they were out at the store. Just then a girl walked over to Henry and starting talking to him, "What you reading?" she asked him, "The Hulk Vs Wolverine" Henry answered, Hazel noticed he was staring at the girl completely dazed, she smirked slightly "I'm Ava. I think I've seen you around school. Your in Miss Blanchard's class right?" she asked him, Henry nodded, Hazel smiled at them and then went on shopping, not wanting to seem like she was spying on her brother. After a few minutes Henry called Hazel over, "I'm gonna hang out with them" he said to her, "This is my sister, Hazel" he added, Hazel smiled at the girl and then looked at Henry, "Okay, don't be late home or mum will flip" she said, Henry nodded and went with Ava, Hazel then turned to go back to her shopping, "Where the hell do you think your going?" Mr Clark the store owner said, Hazel frowned and went on over, "Open up your backpack!" he said to Henry, "What?" Henry said, confused, "What's going on?" Hazel added, "Don't think I didn't see you rob me!" Mr Clark said, "Henry wouldn't do tha..." Hazel began, "Open your bag!" Mr Clark said again, "But I didn't take anything" Henry said, Mr Clark then grabbed Henry's bag and unzipped it, he stuck his hand in and withdrew a handful of sweets, "And a liar too" Mr Clark said, Hazel frowned, "Henry..." she said shocked, Henry then turned to girl and boy, "That's why you were talking to me, so your brother could put that stuff in there" he said, Hazel looked at the two of them, "Henry" Mr Clark said "I'm shocked!" Hazel put her hand on Henry's shoulder, "And I bet you were helping Hazel" he added, Hazel frowned at this, "Of course not" she said defensively, Mr Clark then turned to the girl and boy, "And you two. Just who do you think you are?" he said, "I'm gonna have to phone your parents" he said, he brought them all over to the counter and Hazel gave him her and Henry's number while the girl - Ava gave him a number, Mr Clark then went to phone.

Regina arrived at the store, "What's going on?" she said firmly, "Well I'm sorry madam mayor, but your kids were shoplifting" Mr Clark explained, Regina then looked round at Henry and Hazel, "Were you?" she asked them both, Henry shook his head and Hazel added, "I was just about to buy the things you asked for" she said, "Look for yourself" Mr Clark said, indicating to the pile on the counter. Regina went over and looked through the items, "My kids don't eat candy" she told him "And they know better than to steal. It's obviously those two. We're going" she then turned to leave, Hazel put her arm around Henry and followed, just as they got to the door Emma came in, "Henry?" she said frowning "What happened?" Hazel was about to answer but her mother spoke first, "Miss Swan. Must I remind you that genetics mean nothing. Your not Henry's mother and it's all taken care of" Regina said simply, "I'm here because I'm the Sheriff" Emma replied and Hazel smirked slightly, "Oh, that's right. Go on do your job" Regina said briefly "Take care of those miscreants" she added before opening the door and she, Henry and Hazel went out, Hazel still had her arm around her brother.

 _Cass had made it out of the vault surprisingly with no bother at all. She sat in her room trying to work out when would be the best time to give the Knave his heart back, she hadn't seen him for a while and he no longer stood guard outside her door. For precaution Cass had hid the heart, in the satchel at the back of the wardrobe, she doubted the queen or any of the guards would be in her room but just to be safe she thought she'd better not take the chance._

 _Cass had another magic lesson today, she remembered the queen saying last time that she was very much in proving but Cass doubted that very much, of course she never told the queen this but she knew it deep down. It was hard to explain but she knew she could feel magic inside her wanting to come out but something was holding it back, like...everything she was trying to do was wrong somehow. However Cass once again stood in front of the stone grate, she stared intently trying with all her might to make a fire. Then a thought struck her, she walked on over to the grate and cupped her hands together, placing them over the top of the grate, she then closed her eyes again and instead of letting all her anger drive to the top of her mind like the queen had told her, she calmed her mind down, letting the magic in her to fill her up and be a part of her. Suddenly Cass felt something warm on her hands, she opened her eyes and gasped, pulling her hands away. There in the grate was a gently, crackling fire, she smiled brightly "I did!" she cried and then turned to Cora who was once again sitting on the long arm chair, "Excellent!" she said as she stood up and walked over to Cass, "Tell me. What did you do differently?" she asked the girl, Cass thought for a moment, "Well, I'm not sure exactly, I guess, instead of having my mind racing I just calmed it and then it came" she explained vaguely, Cora smiled "Well, everyone performs differently" she said, "Excellent work, dear" the girl smiled and then she looked at the flame again then looked down slightly, "Whatever is the matter, dear?" she asked her, Cass bit her lip slightly as she began to speak "It's just, I always told myself I was never going to use magic, that I knew it was wrong, and still feel that way but it's strange, I don't feel the same way from when my Pap...I mean from when I've seen it done before" Cora stared at the girl closely, "Like I said dear, all magic will be different" she answered, Cass then looked down again "But it's all the same still because, no matter how you use it, all magic comes with a price" Cass said, she looked up and frowned slightly, she could of sworn she'd seen the queen startle for a moment, "Who told you this, dear?" she asked, Cass glanced down again, "Well, no one really" she lied "It's a well known fact" Cass looked up at the queen again. There was silence for a moment and then the queen turned to leave, "We'll continued our lesson another day" she told Cass promptly, Cass frowned slightly but said nothing more and followed the queen out, then headed back to her room._

Hazel was at Mary Margaret's with Henry and the girl and boy from the store. It turned out they were homeless kids or with Henry's theory - they were Hansel and Gretel. Anyway they were staying at the flat until Emma could track down their father. At the moment all five of them were making chocolate cupcakes in the kitchen, the phone rang and Mary Margaret cleaned her hands and went to answer it, "Hello?...Is everything okay?" she said, Mary Margaret then looked back at them, "Stay here kids, Hazel your in charge till I get back" she said, Hazel nodded, "Alright, I think we can case up and get them in the oven now" she said to the other three, they all helped with spooning the cake mix into the cases and then Hazel placed the tray into the oven and set the the timer.

After a bit the door to the apartment opened again and Mary Margaret came back in, followed but Emma and Regina, Hazel frowned slightly wondering what was going on, "Kids" Emma said reluctantly, "It's time to go" Hazel saw her looking at Ava and Nicholas, "But, you promised you would help" Ava said pleadingly, Emma sighed, "I'm sorry kid" she said sadly, they all then got their stuff together and made their way outside. Hazel and Henry were held back by Regina while Emma took Ava and Nicholas over to the Sheriffs car, "Come on" Emma said as she opened the door "Its gonna be...here" she then held out her hand giving something to Ava "I'm sorry...but we gotta go!" Hazel watched sadly as the two of them got into the back of the car, Emma closed door and then proceeded round to the drivers side, "Lets go Henry, Hazel" Regina said, Henry shrugged Regina's hand off him and rushed over to the car, Hazel half followed, "No! You can't take them. They can't leave Storybrooke Emma they can't, something bad will happen" Henry said desperately, Hazel didn't catch Emma's response then a moment later the engine was started up, Henry backed away from the car and Emma drove off, Hazel went over to Henry and put her arm around him, hugging him gently, "It'll be okay Henry" she whispered, Regina then called them both over, Hazel kept her arm around her brother as she led him over to their mother.

 _Cass soon got her chance to give the Knave his heart. She had just finished her lesson with Cora and was making her way towards her room when she caught sight of him walking along the corridor, "Hey!" she called out "Knave!" he turned, "What do you want?" he asked her, Cass ran up to him and stood in front of him for a moment before taking his hand and pulling him along the corridor and into her room, she then let him go and went over to the wardrobe, "Can ya tell me what the bloody 'ell yer doing?" he said impatiently, Cass withdrew the satchel and brought it to him, "Your welcome" she said handing him the bag, "What do you think I need a satchel for?" he said, "Open it" she replied, the Knave sighed as he did as she told him, his eyes then widened, "What the bloody 'ell were ya thinking?" he said and looked at Cass who frowned slightly "Most of the time, if someone does something for you, you thank them" she said a little irritated, the Knave looked into the satchel again and then slowly took out the heart, Cass smiled as she watched him, he held it in his hand for a moment and then placed the heart back into the satchel and sealed it, "I never ask ya to do this" he said, Cass frowned "It was the descent thing to do" she said getting more irritated now, 'Why on earth was he acting this way' she thought, he should be happy she got this heart back, now he can no longer be controlled by Cora "Look...I gotta go" he said and then without another word he turned and sped out of the room, Cass frowned as she watched him leave, totally baffled by his behavior._

As Hazel finished her breakfast and she put her plate into the dishwasher, then she picked up her school bag before heading out of the house. she frowned slightly as she walked out, Henry was at the side of the road talking to a guy on a motorcycle, curious Hazel went on over to them, "What's that?" Henry asked him, pointing to a wooden box on the back of the bike, "A box" the man replied simply and then added a "Hey" when he seen Hazel standing there, she gave an awkward smile back "What's inside it?" Henry asked curiously, "Just something I need to do what I came here for" the man answered as he put on his helmet, "But I thought you were just visiting" Henry said smugly "Doesn't mean I don't have something to do" the man said as he started up his bike, ""Henry! Hazel!" Regina called from the door, "Better get to school, looks like a storms coming" the man said and then he drove off, Hazel frowned curiously as she watched him, Regina then rushed up to Henry and Hazel, "Who was that?" she asked, Henry just shrugged as he to watched the man drive off. 

_Cass avoided the Knave for the next few days, she still couldn't understand his reaction to what she had done for him. Plus she had no idea why he was still hanging around, he had his heart back, he could leave whenever he wanted now, she was so puzzled by this that she began to lose concentration during her lessons with Cora, she asked Cass what was wrong but Cass just could not explain it. All she could think about was the Knave. What on earth was going on._

The storm the other day had been a fierce one, luckily Hazel had been in school so she had been sheltered from the worst of it, though the electricity had gone out. Hazel was on her way to Archie's to pick up Henry after his session, Regina had told her too. She collected Henry and they began to walk on up the road, "Wait. Can we go by the castle?" Henry asked, "I left my bike there" Hazel nodded, "Sure, come on" she replied and they hurried on up the road.

When they arrived at the castle they found it being ripped apart by a bulldozer, Hazel watched in horror, she knew this was her brothers favorite spot, she then caught sight of her mother who was watching the demolishing and Hazel frowned as she put her arm around Henry, he was talking into the radio, "Code red! Code red!" he cried into it. A few minutes later and Emma appeared on the scene, "Hey! What happened? I came as soon as I could!" she cried, "The castle! She's tearing the whole thing down!" Henry cried and then rushed over to the site, Hazel went with him to make sure he didn't get hurt, "My book...it's...it's gone" Henry said, Hazel put her arm around Henry again, "Come on Henry, we need to keep back" she said fearing for his safety, Hazel then watched Emma go over to Regina, She managed to persuade Henry away from the site and over to the Sheriffs car, Hazel then bent down in front of him "It's going to be alright, Henry" she said softly "We'll find your book, it must be somewhere" Henry hugged her and she put her arms around him too.

 _As she wondered around the gardens Cass began to think about her father again. She wondered where he was right now. Was he looking for her? Did he know what had happened? Was he still angry? As Cass puzzled with these questions, she never heard the footsteps behind her. A twig snapped, she gasped and spun round, there stood the Knave looking anxious and embarrassed, she frowned at him "I have nothing to say to you! she said stubbornly and turned back around, "Look...I know I never...thanked ya for...you know" he said, Cass kept her back to him "Oh, that's big of you!" she snapped, "Look...I'm sorry alright. It's just it all happened so fast and...I was thrown of guard" he explained, Cass glanced round slightly but said nothing, "Thank you" he said finally, after a long pause, Cass still said nothing. There was another awkward silence and then Cass finally turned to face him "Well, to little to late" she said simply and then marched passed him to walk away, "Wait! What if I told ya I could find ya a way home" he said quickly, Cass stopped where she was and turned around slowly, "Why would you do that?" she asked, "Because...I know how miserable ya are...because I want to help ya" he replied, Cass glanced down for a moment and then looked back up, "How exactly?" she asked, "There are rumors, of a white rabbit" the Knave explained, "They say he can open up portals to any land" Cass felt her eyes brighten, "And you can find him?" she asked, "Maybe, it might take a while, but I'll try" he said. There was silence again and then Cass smiled, "Alright" she said and then turned to leave, she stopped again and looked back, "Thank you...Knave" she said, "Call me Will" he replied and bowed his head slightly, Cass smiled before turning around again and walked off._

Hazel walked into the diner as Emma came rushing out, "Hey Emma" she said, "Hey...sorry I got a call, talk to you later" she said, Hazel nodded and walked into Granny's, she went and sat down at the counter, Ruby came on over "Hot coco?" she asked and Hazel nodded, Ruby went off and made up the drink and then brought it over, "Hey Hazel, fancy a girls night with me, Ashley and Mary Margaret?" she asked her, Hazel smiled brightly "I'm not sure that's a good idea Ruby" came Mary Margaret's voice from behind her "Not so sure Regina will be to happy about that" Hazel looked round at Mary Margaret and then back at Ruby, "I'm sure I can sneak out" she said confidently, "Cool, see you tonight" Ruby said before walking off, Hazel then looked round to face Mary Margaret again and then noticed Ashley sitting beside her, "Hey, how are you?" she asked her, Ashley smiled, "Okay...exhausted though" she explained, Hazel picked up her hot coco and went to sit with them.

Later on Hazel was in her room getting ready for the night out, she stood in front of the mirror applying a little makeup onto her eyes and then flicked a bit of mascara onto her eyelashes. Once she was ready, she picked up her shoulder bag and went over to the window, she then began to climb down the drain pipe. It took some time as she was wearing heels but finally she made it to the ground and rushed off towards town. She met the others outside the club and smiled, "Hey" Ruby said "You made it! Come on! I've got us drinks ready" she then ushered them all in.

They found a small table and Ruby went over to the bar, she then brought over a tray of drinks, "Okay Hazel, I know you probably will stick to soft drinks but..." Ruby began but before she could finish Hazel had reached over and picked up two shot glasses and downed them one after the other, "Whoa, easy Hazel" Mary Margaret said to her, Ashley then picked up a couple of shots and downed them also, "Pace yourself Ashley" Mary Margaret said to her, ""I am! This is the first night out since I've had the baby, I'm making up for lost time" she replied as she downed another shot, Hazel picked up another also and downed it, Ruby was staring over at the bar, "Ash, check out those guys" she said "Honey, I'm still with Sean" Ashley said, "Your not married, and he's not here" Ruby said simply "He's working" Ashley said, "He's always working" Ruby replied and then got up "Have fun moping" she said as she went on over to the bar. Hazel suddenly began to feel a little woozy, she shook herself slightly, trying to focus, she was only half aware of what Mary Margaret and Ashley were saying, "I'm just gonna go outside for some air" she said as she stood up, "Hazel? You okay?" Mary Margaret asked, Hazel nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine...I just need some air, it's hot in here" she then headed towards the door and out. Hazel then leaned against the building for a moment, regaining some control and then stood up straight and watched a van come driving past, she frowned slightly as she registered Mr Gold in the drivers seat, she then noticed that it was Moe Frenches van, who owned the flower shop, Hazel puzzled over this for a moment and then ran off towards the Sheriff's station.

Hazel rushed into the office, "Emma!" she cried as she saw her sitting at the desk, "Whoa kid! Isn't it a bit late for you to be out?" she said, "Never mind that! I just seen Mr Gold, in Moe Frenches van! I don't know why, but I've got a bad feeling" she explained, Emma then stood up at once and picked up her jacket, "Come on" she said as they sped out of the building and into the Sheriffs car, "Where was he headed?" Emma asked, "It looked like in the direction of the woods" Hazel explained as they drove off. They drove on through the woods for some time and Hazel looked all around, she soon spotted the van up ahead, "There!" she cried, pointing , Emma stopped the car beside the van and they both got out, Hazel looked around frantically, she then spotted a cabin a little way off, "Emma! Over here!" she cried as she rushed up to the cabin, when she approached, she could hear shouting coming from inside "Its your fault! Not mine! You are her father!" Hazel hesitated, feeling slightly afraid, Emma then rushed passed her and went in, "IT'S YOUR FAULT! IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Mr Gold shouted, Hazel stood at the door and watched as Mr Gold stood over Moe French, beating the man with his cane, Emma then rushed to Mr Gold and grabbed his wrist tightly, "STOP!" she cried fearfully, Mr Gold looked round and then spotted Hazel standing at the door, looking terrified and Hazel could of sworn she saw a hint of regret in his eyes. She then sped on over to Moe French to check he was alright, "Hazel! Take the radio and call for an ambulance" Emma said, Hazel nodded and took the radio from Emma and went outside to make the call.

The paramedics arrived and attended to Moe French straight away, Hazel was outside the cabin still getting over the shock of what she had just witnessed, she saw Emma walk over to Mr Gold and she followed her, "So I heard you managed not to brake anything he needs" Emma said as she stood in front of him, Hazel stood a few feet away, "Your lucky, Mr Gold" Emma added, "You've got a funny definition of 'lucky'" Mr Gold said simply, "You have a funny definition of justice, what did he really do?" Emma asked, "He stole!" Mr Gold said firmly, Hazel frowned slightly, "That reaction was about more than taking a few trinkets. You said something about her. Who was that? If someone needs help maybe I can help" Emma said, "No sorry Sheriff, I think you have that wrong" Mr Gold said bluntly, "You really don't want to cooperate?" Emma asked, "Look, we're done here!" Mr Gold said as he got up to walk away, Emma then grabbed his arm, "Actually, we're not. Your under arrest" Emma said as she took out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed Mr Gold, "Hazel! Jump in the front, I'll run you home" she said to her, Hazel nodded and got into the front of the car as Emma put Mr Gold in the back, "Hazel?" Mr Gold said softly now, Hazel kept her eyes forwards, "I'm sorry you had to see that" he added, Hazel said nothing to this and Emma got in the drivers side and they set off.

It was a long, intense drive back into town, everyone was silent the whole way and Hazel kept running the scene through her mind, still trying to process what had happened. Finally they arrived outside the house and Emma stopped at the door, "Thanks Emma" Hazel said as she took off her seat belt and opened the door, "Hey!" Emma said and Hazel turned her head, "Here" Emma held out large bottle of water to Hazel, she frowned slightly, "You think I didn't realize?" she said softly, "Drink that and you'll sober up, your mother won't have to know you've been drinking" Hazel smiled "Thanks" she said shyly and took the bottle from Emma then got out of the car, she then hurried up to the house and she crept inside then slowly and quietly made her way up the stairs, to her room.


	8. Chapter 8

_Fairytale land: Italics_

Storybrooke: Normal

Hazel was browsing around the store, collecting things their mother had told her to pick up while she and Henry were out. She kept glancing over at her brother who was at the front of the shop reading a comic book. She often just let him do his own thing when they were out at the store. Just then a girl walked over to Henry and starting talking to him, "What you reading?" she asked him, "The Hulk Vs Wolverine" Henry answered, Hazel noticed he was staring at the girl completely dazed, she smirked slightly "I'm Ava. I think I've seen you around school. Your in Miss Blanchard's class right?" she asked him, Henry nodded, Hazel smiled at them and then went on shopping, not wanting to seem like she was spying on her brother. After a few minutes Henry called Hazel over, "I'm gonna hang out with them" he said to her, "This is my sister, Hazel" he added, Hazel smiled at the girl and then looked at Henry, "Okay, don't be late home or mum will flip" she said, Henry nodded and went with Ava, Hazel then turned to go back to her shopping, "Where the hell do you think your going?" Mr Clark the store owner said, Hazel frowned and went on over, "Open up your backpack!" he said to Henry, "What?" Henry said, confused, "What's going on?" Hazel added, "Don't think I didn't see you rob me!" Mr Clark said, "Henry wouldn't do tha..." Hazel began, "Open your bag!" Mr Clark said again, "But I didn't take anything" Henry said, Mr Clark then grabbed Henry's bag and unzipped it, he stuck his hand in and withdrew a handful of sweets, "And a liar too" Mr Clark said, Hazel frowned, "Henry..." she said shocked, Henry then turned to girl and boy, "That's why you were talking to me, so your brother could put that stuff in there" he said, Hazel looked at the two of them, "Henry" Mr Clark said "I'm shocked!" Hazel put her hand on Henry's shoulder, "And I bet you were helping Hazel" he added, Hazel frowned at this, "Of course not" she said defensively, Mr Clark then turned to the girl and boy, "And you two. Just who do you think you are?" he said, "I'm gonna have to phone your parents" he said, he brought them all over to the counter and Hazel gave him her and Henry's number while the girl - Ava gave him a number, Mr Clark then went to phone.

Regina arrived at the store, "What's going on?" she said firmly, "Well I'm sorry madam mayor, but your kids were shoplifting" Mr Clark explained, Regina then looked round at Henry and Hazel, "Were you?" she asked them both, Henry shook his head and Hazel added, "I was just about to buy the things you asked for" she said, "Look for yourself" Mr Clark said, indicating to the pile on the counter. Regina went over and looked through the items, "My kids don't eat candy" she told him "And they know better than to steal. It's obviously those two. We're going" she then turned to leave, Hazel put her arm around Henry and followed, just as they got to the door Emma came in, "Henry?" she said frowning "What happened?" Hazel was about to answer but her mother spoke first, "Miss Swan. Must I remind you that genetics mean nothing. Your not Henry's mother and it's all taken care of" Regina said simply, "I'm here because I'm the Sheriff" Emma replied and Hazel smirked slightly, "Oh, that's right. Go on do your job" Regina said briefly "Take care of those miscreants" she added before opening the door and she, Henry and Hazel went out, Hazel still had her arm around her brother.

 _Cass had made it out of the vault surprisingly with no bother at all. She sat in her room trying to work out when would be the best time to give the Knave his heart back, she hadn't seen him for a while and he no longer stood guard outside her door. For precaution Cass had hid the heart, in the satchel at the back of the wardrobe, she doubted the queen or any of the guards would be in her room but just to be safe she thought she'd better not take the chance._

 _Cass had another magic lesson today, she remembered the queen saying last time that she was very much in proving but Cass doubted that very much, of course she never told the queen this but she knew it deep down. It was hard to explain but she knew she could feel magic inside her wanting to come out but something was holding it back, like...everything she was trying to do was wrong somehow. However Cass once again stood in front of the stone grate, she stared intently trying with all her might to make a fire. Then a thought struck her, she walked on over to the grate and cupped her hands together, placing them over the top of the grate, she then closed her eyes again and instead of letting all her anger drive to the top of her mind like the queen had told her, she calmed her mind down, letting the magic in her to fill her up and be a part of her. Suddenly Cass felt something warm on her hands, she opened her eyes and gasped, pulling her hands away. There in the grate was a gently, crackling fire, she smiled brightly "I did!" she cried and then turned to Cora who was once again sitting on the long arm chair, "Excellent!" she said as she stood up and walked over to Cass, "Tell me. What did you do differently?" she asked the girl, Cass thought for a moment, "Well, I'm not sure exactly, I guess, instead of having my mind racing I just calmed it and then it came" she explained vaguely, Cora smiled "Well, everyone performs differently" she said, "Excellent work, dear" the girl smiled and then she looked at the flame again then looked down slightly, "Whatever is the matter, dear?" she asked her, Cass bit her lip slightly as she began to speak "It's just, I always told myself I was never going to use magic, that I knew it was wrong, and still feel that way but it's strange, I don't feel the same way from when my Pap...I mean from when I've seen it done before" Cora stared at the girl closely, "Like I said dear, all magic will be different" she answered, Cass then looked down again "But it's all the same still because, no matter how you use it, all magic comes with a price" Cass said, she looked up and frowned slightly, she could of sworn she'd seen the queen startle for a moment, "Who told you this, dear?" she asked, Cass glanced down again, "Well, no one really" she lied "It's a well known fact" Cass looked up at the queen again. There was silence for a moment and then the queen turned to leave, "We'll continued our lesson another day" she told Cass promptly, Cass frowned slightly but said nothing more and followed the queen out, then headed back to her room._

Hazel was at Mary Margaret's with Henry and the girl and boy from the store. It turned out they were homeless kids or with Henry's theory - they were Hansel and Gretel. Anyway they were staying at the flat until Emma could track down their father. At the moment all five of them were making chocolate cupcakes in the kitchen, the phone rang and Mary Margaret cleaned her hands and went to answer it, "Hello?...Is everything okay?" she said, Mary Margaret then looked back at them, "Stay here kids, Hazel your in charge till I get back" she said, Hazel nodded, "Alright, I think we can case up and get them in the oven now" she said to the other three, they all helped with spooning the cake mix into the cases and then Hazel placed the tray into the oven and set the the timer.

After a bit the door to the apartment opened again and Mary Margaret came back in, followed but Emma and Regina, Hazel frowned slightly wondering what was going on, "Kids" Emma said reluctantly, "It's time to go" Hazel saw her looking at Ava and Nicholas, "But, you promised you would help" Ava said pleadingly, Emma sighed, "I'm sorry kid" she said sadly, they all then got their stuff together and made their way outside. Hazel and Henry were held back by Regina while Emma took Ava and Nicholas over to the Sheriffs car, "Come on" Emma said as she opened the door "Its gonna be...here" she then held out her hand giving something to Ava "I'm sorry...but we gotta go!" Hazel watched sadly as the two of them got into the back of the car, Emma closed door and then proceeded round to the drivers side, "Lets go Henry, Hazel" Regina said, Henry shrugged Regina's hand off him and rushed over to the car, Hazel half followed, "No! You can't take them. They can't leave Storybrooke Emma they can't, something bad will happen" Henry said desperately, Hazel didn't catch Emma's response then a moment later the engine was started up, Henry backed away from the car and Emma drove off, Hazel went over to Henry and put her arm around him, hugging him gently, "It'll be okay Henry" she whispered, Regina then called them both over, Hazel kept her arm around her brother as she led him over to their mother.

 _Cass soon got her chance to give the Knave his heart. She had just finished her lesson with Cora and was making her way towards her room when she caught sight of him walking along the corridor, "Hey!" she called out "Knave!" he turned, "What do you want?" he asked her, Cass ran up to him and stood in front of him for a moment before taking his hand and pulling him along the corridor and into her room, she then let him go and went over to the wardrobe, "Can ya tell me what the bloody 'ell yer doing?" he said impatiently, Cass withdrew the satchel and brought it to him, "Your welcome" she said handing him the bag, "What do you think I need a satchel for?" he said, "Open it" she replied, the Knave sighed as he did as she told him, his eyes then widened, "What the bloody 'ell were ya thinking?" he said and looked at Cass who frowned slightly "Most of the time, if someone does something for you, you thank them" she said a little irritated, the Knave looked into the satchel again and then slowly took out the heart, Cass smiled as she watched him, he held it in his hand for a moment and then placed the heart back into the satchel and sealed it, "I never ask ya to do this" he said, Cass frowned "It was the descent thing to do" she said getting more irritated now, 'Why on earth was he acting this way' she thought, he should be happy she got this heart back, now he can no longer be controlled by Cora "Look...I gotta go" he said and then without another word he turned and sped out of the room, Cass frowned as she watched him leave, totally baffled by his behavior._

As Hazel finished her breakfast and she put her plate into the dishwasher, then she picked up her school bag before heading out of the house. she frowned slightly as she walked out, Henry was at the side of the road talking to a guy on a motorcycle, curious Hazel went on over to them, "What's that?" Henry asked him, pointing to a wooden box on the back of the bike, "A box" the man replied simply and then added a "Hey" when he seen Hazel standing there, she gave an awkward smile back "What's inside it?" Henry asked curiously, "Just something I need to do what I came here for" the man answered as he put on his helmet, "But I thought you were just visiting" Henry said smugly "Doesn't mean I don't have something to do" the man said as he started up his bike, ""Henry! Hazel!" Regina called from the door, "Better get to school, looks like a storms coming" the man said and then he drove off, Hazel frowned curiously as she watched him, Regina then rushed up to Henry and Hazel, "Who was that?" she asked, Henry just shrugged as he to watched the man drive off. 

_Cass avoided the Knave for the next few days, she still couldn't understand his reaction to what she had done for him. Plus she had no idea why he was still hanging around, he had his heart back, he could leave whenever he wanted now, she was so puzzled by this that she began to lose concentration during her lessons with Cora, she asked Cass what was wrong but Cass just could not explain it. All she could think about was the Knave. What on earth was going on._

The storm the other day had been a fierce one, luckily Hazel had been in school so she had been sheltered from the worst of it, though the electricity had gone out. Hazel was on her way to Archie's to pick up Henry after his session, Regina had told her too. She collected Henry and they began to walk on up the road, "Wait. Can we go by the castle?" Henry asked, "I left my bike there" Hazel nodded, "Sure, come on" she replied and they hurried on up the road.

When they arrived at the castle they found it being ripped apart by a bulldozer, Hazel watched in horror, she knew this was her brothers favorite spot, she then caught sight of her mother who was watching the demolishing and Hazel frowned as she put her arm around Henry, he was talking into the radio, "Code red! Code red!" he cried into it. A few minutes later and Emma appeared on the scene, "Hey! What happened? I came as soon as I could!" she cried, "The castle! She's tearing the whole thing down!" Henry cried and then rushed over to the site, Hazel went with him to make sure he didn't get hurt, "My book...it's...it's gone" Henry said, Hazel put her arm around Henry again, "Come on Henry, we need to keep back" she said fearing for his safety, Hazel then watched Emma go over to Regina, She managed to persuade Henry away from the site and over to the Sheriffs car, Hazel then bent down in front of him "It's going to be alright, Henry" she said softly "We'll find your book, it must be somewhere" Henry hugged her and she put her arms around him too.

 _As she wondered around the gardens Cass began to think about her father again. She wondered where he was right now. Was he looking for her? Did he know what had happened? Was he still angry? As Cass puzzled with these questions, she never heard the footsteps behind her. A twig snapped, she gasped and spun round, there stood the Knave looking anxious and embarrassed, she frowned at him "I have nothing to say to you! she said stubbornly and turned back around, "Look...I know I never...thanked ya for...you know" he said, Cass kept her back to him "Oh, that's big of you!" she snapped, "Look...I'm sorry alright. It's just it all happened so fast and...I was thrown of guard" he explained, Cass glanced round slightly but said nothing, "Thank you" he said finally, after a long pause, Cass still said nothing. There was another awkward silence and then Cass finally turned to face him "Well, to little to late" she said simply and then marched passed him to walk away, "Wait! What if I told ya I could find ya a way home" he said quickly, Cass stopped where she was and turned around slowly, "Why would you do that?" she asked, "Because...I know how miserable ya are...because I want to help ya" he replied, Cass glanced down for a moment and then looked back up, "How exactly?" she asked, "There are rumors, of a white rabbit" the Knave explained, "They say he can open up portals to any land" Cass felt her eyes brighten, "And you can find him?" she asked, "Maybe, it might take a while, but I'll try" he said. There was silence again and then Cass smiled, "Alright" she said and then turned to leave, she stopped again and looked back, "Thank you...Knave" she said, "Call me Will" he replied and bowed his head slightly, Cass smiled before turning around again and walked off._

Hazel walked into the diner as Emma came rushing out, "Hey Emma" she said, "Hey...sorry I got a call, talk to you later" she said, Hazel nodded and walked into Granny's, she went and sat down at the counter, Ruby came on over "Hot coco?" she asked and Hazel nodded, Ruby went off and made up the drink and then brought it over, "Hey Hazel, fancy a girls night with me, Ashley and Mary Margaret?" she asked her, Hazel smiled brightly "I'm not sure that's a good idea Ruby" came Mary Margaret's voice from behind her "Not so sure Regina will be to happy about that" Hazel looked round at Mary Margaret and then back at Ruby, "I'm sure I can sneak out" she said confidently, "Cool, see you tonight" Ruby said before walking off, Hazel then looked round to face Mary Margaret again and then noticed Ashley sitting beside her, "Hey, how are you?" she asked her, Ashley smiled, "Okay...exhausted though" she explained, Hazel picked up her hot coco and went to sit with them.

Later on Hazel was in her room getting ready for the night out, she stood in front of the mirror applying a little makeup onto her eyes and then flicked a bit of mascara onto her eyelashes. Once she was ready, she picked up her shoulder bag and went over to the window, she then began to climb down the drain pipe. It took some time as she was wearing heels but finally she made it to the ground and rushed off towards town. She met the others outside the club and smiled, "Hey" Ruby said "You made it! Come on! I've got us drinks ready" she then ushered them all in.

They found a small table and Ruby went over to the bar, she then brought over a tray of drinks, "Okay Hazel, I know you probably will stick to soft drinks but..." Ruby began but before she could finish Hazel had reached over and picked up two shot glasses and downed them one after the other, "Whoa, easy Hazel" Mary Margaret said to her, Ashley then picked up a couple of shots and downed them also, "Pace yourself Ashley" Mary Margaret said to her, ""I am! This is the first night out since I've had the baby, I'm making up for lost time" she replied as she downed another shot, Hazel picked up another also and downed it, Ruby was staring over at the bar, "Ash, check out those guys" she said "Honey, I'm still with Sean" Ashley said, "Your not married, and he's not here" Ruby said simply "He's working" Ashley said, "He's always working" Ruby replied and then got up "Have fun moping" she said as she went on over to the bar. Hazel suddenly began to feel a little woozy, she shook herself slightly, trying to focus, she was only half aware of what Mary Margaret and Ashley were saying, "I'm just gonna go outside for some air" she said as she stood up, "Hazel? You okay?" Mary Margaret asked, Hazel nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine...I just need some air, it's hot in here" she then headed towards the door and out. Hazel then leaned against the building for a moment, regaining some control and then stood up straight and watched a van come driving past, she frowned slightly as she registered Mr Gold in the drivers seat, she then noticed that it was Moe Frenches van, who owned the flower shop, Hazel puzzled over this for a moment and then ran off towards the Sheriff's station.

Hazel rushed into the office, "Emma!" she cried as she saw her sitting at the desk, "Whoa kid! Isn't it a bit late for you to be out?" she said, "Never mind that! I just seen Mr Gold, in Moe Frenches van! I don't know why, but I've got a bad feeling" she explained, Emma then stood up at once and picked up her jacket, "Come on" she said as they sped out of the building and into the Sheriffs car, "Where was he headed?" Emma asked, "It looked like in the direction of the woods" Hazel explained as they drove off. They drove on through the woods for some time and Hazel looked all around, she soon spotted the van up ahead, "There!" she cried, pointing , Emma stopped the car beside the van and they both got out, Hazel looked around frantically, she then spotted a cabin a little way off, "Emma! Over here!" she cried as she rushed up to the cabin, when she approached, she could hear shouting coming from inside "Its your fault! Not mine! You are her father!" Hazel hesitated, feeling slightly afraid, Emma then rushed passed her and went in, "IT'S YOUR FAULT! IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Mr Gold shouted, Hazel stood at the door and watched as Mr Gold stood over Moe French, beating the man with his cane, Emma then rushed to Mr Gold and grabbed his wrist tightly, "STOP!" she cried fearfully, Mr Gold looked round and then spotted Hazel standing at the door, looking terrified and Hazel could of sworn she saw a hint of regret in his eyes. She then sped on over to Moe French to check he was alright, "Hazel! Take the radio and call for an ambulance" Emma said, Hazel nodded and took the radio from Emma and went outside to make the call.

The paramedics arrived and attended to Moe French straight away, Hazel was outside the cabin still getting over the shock of what she had just witnessed, she saw Emma walk over to Mr Gold and she followed her, "So I heard you managed not to brake anything he needs" Emma said as she stood in front of him, Hazel stood a few feet away, "Your lucky, Mr Gold" Emma added, "You've got a funny definition of 'lucky'" Mr Gold said simply, "You have a funny definition of justice, what did he really do?" Emma asked, "He stole!" Mr Gold said firmly, Hazel frowned slightly, "That reaction was about more than taking a few trinkets. You said something about her. Who was that? If someone needs help maybe I can help" Emma said, "No sorry Sheriff, I think you have that wrong" Mr Gold said bluntly, "You really don't want to cooperate?" Emma asked, "Look, we're done here!" Mr Gold said as he got up to walk away, Emma then grabbed his arm, "Actually, we're not. Your under arrest" Emma said as she took out a pair of handcuffs and cuffed Mr Gold, "Hazel! Jump in the front, I'll run you home" she said to her, Hazel nodded and got into the front of the car as Emma put Mr Gold in the back, "Hazel?" Mr Gold said softly now, Hazel kept her eyes forwards, "I'm sorry you had to see that" he added, Hazel said nothing to this and Emma got in the drivers side and they set off.

It was a long, intense drive back into town, everyone was silent the whole way and Hazel kept running the scene through her mind, still trying to process what had happened. Finally they arrived outside the house and Emma stopped at the door, "Thanks Emma" Hazel said as she took off her seat belt and opened the door, "Hey!" Emma said and Hazel turned her head, "Here" Emma held out large bottle of water to Hazel, she frowned slightly, "You think I didn't realize?" she said softly, "Drink that and you'll sober up, your mother won't have to know you've been drinking" Hazel smiled "Thanks" she said shyly and took the bottle from Emma then got out of the car, she then hurried up to the house and she crept inside then slowly and quietly made her way up the stairs, to her room.


	9. Chapter 9

All Storybrooke Chapter: Normal

Hazel arrived town and checked the time on the clock, it was only half eight so she headed on into the diner and ordered a hot coco and bacon sandwich to take away, before going to school. As she waited she noticed the strange man who she'd seen outside her house the other day, he was sitting alone in one of the booths with a mug of coffee, Ruby brought Hazel her coco and she picked it up, she then thought for a moment but shook her head slightly and headed on back out of the diner and walked up the road to school. When she arrived at school she spotted a couple of her friends and went on over to them, "Hey Hazel" one of them greeted, "Hey" Hazel replied, the bell rang and they all headed into the building.

She had History first thing which she hated, she spent most of the lesson gazing out of the window, only half paying attention to what was being said, she would then copy notes from her friend afterwards. Finally the bell rang for morning recess and Hazel packed up her books and hurried on out of the classroom, she went over to her locker and began placing books inside, out of the corner of her eye she spotted Mary Margaret walking down the corridor, "Hey" her friend said beside her, "Isn't that Mr Nolan's wife?" Hazel looked along the corridor to see Kathryn storming towards Mary Margaret, "Kathryn? I'm sorry..." Hazel heard Mary Margaret say, then suddenly Kathryn slapped her hard across the face, Hazel gasped slightly as she watched, "Screw you, your sorry!" Kathryn said firmly, "I understand your upset, you have every right to be" Mary Margaret said, "Thank you for that insight!" Kathryn retorted back, "Can we please talk somewhere private?" Mary Margaret asked, "Private? Why do you get any consideration at all, you have shown NONE for me! Either of you! All you did was LIE!" Kathryn said hysterically now, Hazel frowned slightly as she watched, "We should of talked to you sooner..." Mary Margaret said calmly, "But, we've been completely honest. We didn't lie" "Didn't lie? You sneak around! You have him break up our marriage with a pack of lies, with some crap about not being able to connect!" there was a pause for a moment, "He didn't have any trouble connecting with you..." Kathryn said, "David didn't tell you about us?" Mary Margaret asked, a little stunned "No, of course not. That would of been the honorable thing to do!" Kathryn said "But he said he would tell you..." "Well then he lied to you to. Good luck making it work. You two deserve each other" Kathryn said and then turned and walked back up the corridor. Hazel watched her go and then looked over at Mary Margaret, who turned and hurried away along the corridor, "Whoa...that was rough" her friend said beside her, Hazel frowned slightly before rushing off after Mary Margaret.

She got to the classroom and knocked on the door before opening it, "Miss Blanchard?" she said as she peered into the classroom. She saw her sitting at her desk, her eyes filled with tears, "Hazel...I'm sorry...now is not a good time" she said, Hazel came on into the room, "I just wanted to see if you were okay?" she asked her, Mary Margaret put on a forced smile, "I'll be fine Hazel" she said "really..." Hazel sighed to herself, there was silence for a moment "Okay...sorry to have disturbed you" she said before turning back towards the door, "If you need someone to talk too..." Hazel said as she turned her head back, Mary Margaret smiled again "I'll be fine..." she said again, Hazel nodded and then went on out of the room.

Later on Hazel was sitting outside with Henry waiting for their mum to pick them up, Hazel watched as Henry played his new game he had got from their mother in replace of his book, "Wow! I love that game!" came Emma's voice as she sat down beside Henry, "Space Paranoids, right?" she asked "Yeah...my mum got it for me" Henry answered pausing the game, "I used to play that all the time when I was a kid" Emma said, Henry hit play and continued the game, "Relax, its all in the wrist..." Emma said but Henry got a game over, Henry sighed, "Oh well..." Hazel said, "our mums picking us up in like five minutes" Henry said to Emma a little worriedly, "Alright, I'll be quick then" Emma said as she opened her bag, Henry bent down to put his game away, "I just have something I want to give you" Hazel eyes widened as Emma took out Henry's book from her bag, Henry looked back around, "You found it!" he exclaimed excitedly "Where'd you get it?" "I found it in a gutter. Must of fallen off the dump truck on the way to the junkyard, got tossed around in the rain and somehow made it's way back to me" Emma explained, "Wow! That's crazy..." Hazel said surprised, "What other explanation can there be?" Emma said "I dunno..." Henry said puzzled, "Whatever happened, it came back to Emma" Hazel said "I told you it wasn't lost Henry" Henry looked round at Hazel and then back at Emma "Maybe it means our luck is changing" he said brightly, "Operation Cobra is back on! It's a sign, things are gonna be better" Hazel smiled slightly "I hope your right kid. I gotta go" Emma said and then looked at Hazel, "See you later Hazel" she smiled slightly and then Emma stood up and hurried off, Henry then held the book out in front of him and opened it up, Hazel leaned over to read it with him.

Hazel was sitting in Granny's causally sipping on her mug of coco, she heard a commotion going on at the other end of the counter and saw Leroy being usual his grumpy self, Hazel rolled her eyes slightly and looked away, not going to get involved, Leroy was always like this - in fact if she were to place him with someone in Henry's book it would definitely be Grumpy the dwarf. After a minute the door chimed and Hazel looked round to see Mary Margaret come in, "Excuse me...can I have everyone's attention please" she announced to the room and everyone turned to looked at her, "I'm sorry to interrupt your morning, but I just wanted to remind everyone that I very special occasion is upon us...Miners day. As always the nuns of Storybrooke are hoping that everyone will get involved and will help sell their exquisite candles. All we need are a few energetic volunteers. So who wants to join me?" Hazel looked round the room and noticed everyone turn away from Mary Margaret and go back to what they were doing, Hazel sighed slightly and looked back over towards the doo, Leroy walked over to the door leave, "Leroy, You wanna volunteer?" Mary Margaret asked, "I wanna leave sister, your blocking the door" he said simply, "Of course" she replied and then stepped aside to let him pass, "But...you know if you wanted to help...that would really be..." she began, "Oh yeah right, quite a team we'd make. Town heart let. Town drunk. The only person in this town that people like less than me is you. If your coming to me your screwed" he said as he walked away and out of the door, Hazel watched sadly as Mary Margaret turned and hurried out of the door also, she then saw Emma rush past and go after her, Hazel finished her hot coco and rushed out also.

Hazel looked up and down the street and then spotted the two of them halfway along the street, she rushed on over "Hey" she said as she walked beside Emma, "So what the hell is miners day and why are you beating yourself up over it?" Emma asked Mary Margaret, "It's an annual holiday, celebrating an old tradition. The nuns used to make candles and trade them with the miners for coal" Mary Margaret explained, "Coal? In Maine? If they were mining for lobster I'd understand..." Emma said puzzled, "Look I dunno, they only used it as a fundraiser. It's an amazing party. Everyone loves it" Mary Margaret said, "Doesn't seem like anyone loves it..." Emma said, "It's not miners day...it's me..." Mary Margaret stated simply, "Last week, I had ten volunteers now they've all dropped out" "You think this is about what happened with David?" Hazel said "Oh I know it is, a few of them told me as much. I've never...been a homewrecker before" Hazel looked at her sadly, "It's gonna blow over" Emma said "You made a mistake with David, look it happens. But you don't need to do charity to win peoples hearts back" "Well I have to do something...and this is the best I can do...I've ruined my life" just then Emma phone began to ring, "Sheriff Swan" she said as she answered "Yeah, I'll be right down" she hang up "Apparently duty calls. Hang in there and if there's anything I can do to help, I will" she said to Mary Margaret, "I know. Thank you" she said, Emma then rushed off in the opposite direction, Hazel watched her go and then turned back to Mary Margaret, "I wanna volunteer" she said to her, "Oh Hazel, you don't have to" she said softly, "Hey, I know the mayors daughter wouldn't of been your first choice but I really wanna help" she said and smiled slightly, "Okay then, lets get to the volunteer center" Mary Margaret said and they both headed off.

At the volunteer center Hazel was busy sorting out the candle, getting them ready for selling. Just then Leroy came strolling over to the table, "Where can I sign up?" he asked, Hazel frowned slightly and Mary Margaret scowled, "What?...I wanna volunteer to sell candles" Leroy said, "No you don't, you made that very clear this morning at Granny's" Mary Margaret said firmly, "Well...maybe I saw the light" Leroy said, Hazel smirked slightly, "Maybe somebody showed it to me. What difference does it make sister, looks like you can use all the help you can get. I mean having the mayors daughter isn't exactly gonna help" Hazel frowned, "Hey!" Hazel said, "Okay, fine! But no swearing! No drinking! And I get to call ALL the shots!" Mary Margaret said firmly and Hazel rolled her eyes slightly before getting back to sorting the candles, "Alright, there all ready for moving" she said, she then heard a commotion from across the room, "You ordered HOW many tanks of helium?" Mother Superior asked firmly, Hazel looked over curiously, "I meant to order twelve" one of the nuns replied, "You ordered twelve dozen...return them" Mother Superior replied, "There are...no...refunds..." "We needed that money, you know that...you know how he feels about us...you fix this, Sister Astrid. You fix this now!" Mother Superior then got up and walked away, Hazel watched the women sadly for a moment before picking up one of the candle boxes and taking them out to set up the booth.

Later on once they were all set up, Mary Margaret and Leroy both came out, "Right, it's set" she said brightly trying to stay positive, "Okay, lets get selling" Mary Margaret said as she picked up a couple of candles and began to call out, "Buy your miners day candles here! Handmade by Storybrookes very own nuns! Light your way to a good cause...buy...buy a candle..." Hazel sighed slightly, she then went out from behind the booth and tried bring people to the stalls, "Handmade miners day candles" she called out but it was no good, no one would come over, "This isn't working..." Mary Margaret said, "Your right! We should pack it up" Leroy replied, Hazel turned sharply, "Now your quitting!" she said, "If the customers won't come to us, we gotta go to them" he answered, Hazel frowned slightly, "Door to door" he added, "If they hate us here, what makes you think they'll like us in their homes?" Mary Margaret said, "Exactly" Leroy answered, "They'll pay us just to leave" Hazel smirked slightly suddenly liking this idea, "You both do that, I'll stay by the booth...you know encase we get lucky" she said, Mary Margaret nodded, "Good idea" she said as she boxed up some candles and hurried off with Leroy, Hazel went back behind the booth and began to call out again, "Get your miners day candles here!" she called out. After a couple of hours Hazel still had not sold a single candle, Mary Margaret and Leroy both came back, "Any luck?" Hazel asked, they both shook their heads, "You?" Mary Margaret asked and Hazel shook her head, "It's hopeless..." Hazel said sadly, "Looks like we're gonna have to explain to the nuns..." Mary Margaret nodded, "You can Leroy, seeing as it was you who was promising them you'd sell every single candle" Mary Margaret said, Hazel looked round "You what?" she said shocked, Mary Margaret and Leroy hurried off again towards the volunteer centre and Hazel carried on trying to sell the candles but still had no luck.

Much later, Hazel was still standing at the stall, the grounds had gotten a lot busier but still no one was coming over to buy any of the candles, Hazel sighed and was just in the process of giving up when suddenly there was an explosion from up above, everyone screamed as everything went pitch black, Hazel frowned slightly looking up towards the voltage box, trying to see what had caused it but it was to dark, she then smirked, getting an idea, "Buy your miners day candles here!" she called out again and instantly crowds of people hurried on over to the booth and Hazel began selling as many as she could. A few minutes later Mary Margaret and Leroy appeared behind the booth to help. There seemed to be a non stop mass of people coming towards the booth, every single one of them buying a candle, then as Hazel put her hand into a box she found it empty, she then checked another, it too was empty, "Guys...we sold out!" she said excitedly, they all laughed and cheered, going into a group hug, Hazel then caught Leroy glancing over at a group of nuns, Mary Margaret smiled, "Go on. Give her the news" she told him "Have your moment" Leroy hesitated and then picked up the cash box and strolled on over, Hazel frowned slightly, "Does he like one of them?" she asked Mary Margaret, she nodded, "yeah" she said replied softly, Hazel smirked sightly and glanced over at Leroy as he reached the group of nuns, she then began to tidy the empty boxes away and Mary Margaret wrote a 'Sold Out' sign and placed it on the front of the table, Hazel picked up a candle and gave it to Mary Margaret, "Here" she said to her, "I bought this one earlier, I thought it might help you now...when we were struggling before" she said, Mary Margaret smiled, "Thanks" she said and then hugged Hazel gently, "Thank you for all your help, Hazel" she said softly, Hazel smiled, "Your welcome" she replied and then withdrew from the hug, "I better go find Henry" she said, Mary Margaret nodded and Hazel wondered off into the crowd. As she weaved in and out the crowd she spotted Emma speaking with David, she noticed them walk over towards the Sheriffs car and Emma opened the back door and David got in, Hazel frowned as she then watched Emma walked round to the drivers side. What on earth was going on.

The next day Hazel was still curious about what was happening with David, she had overheard from her mother that Kathryn's car had turned up on the side of the road, but she was nowhere to be seen and of course this made Hazel even more curious. So decided to head on over to the Sheriffs station, to try get some answers. When she got there she found not Emma but Henry and Ruby, "Wanna be a bike messenger?" Henry asked as he scrolled through the computer, Hazel frowned slightly, "Bike messenger?" Ruby asked, "That's about taking things to people in a little basket" Henry explained, "Nope. Yeah, you see I'm not so great at bike riding" Rudy replied, "What's going on?" Hazel asked curiously and they both looked round, "I quit my job at Granny's" Ruby said simply, "So we're looking for another job" Henry added, "How about...taking things on foot to people in a little basket?" Henry suggested "I'm not so sure that's a real job..." Ruby said slowly, the phone then began to ring a couple of times and then beeped "Why do the phones keep doing that?" Ruby asked in an irritated voice, "Oh the non emergency calls go to a machine when Emma's busy" Henry explained, the phone then rang again and Ruby looked round at it, she then reached over and grabbed the receiver, "Sheriff's station, how can I help you?" Ruby answered "hm...I'll get her to return. Thank you, to you to" the phone then rang again and Ruby pressed a button, "Sheriffs station? Hey Miss Ginger. No that's not a prowler that's Archie's dog Pongo. Throw him a vanilla wafer, he'll quiet down. Did you still wanna talk to Emma? Great! Glad I could help" by this time Emma had walked in but only Hazel had noticed her, she walked on over to Ruby and Henry, "How's it going" she asked, "Great...except I can't do anything..." Ruby said reluctantly "I'm sure that's not true. I just saw you on the phone that was good" Emma replied, "That...that's nothing..." Ruby said, "No! No it isn't!" Emma replied but Ruby leaned back in her chair and sighed doubtfully, Hazel then thought for a moment, "How about if Ruby helps you out here" she suggested, "Yeah...I actually have some money in the budget it you wanna" Emma said, "Yes! Thank you! Yes. I...can answer phones and help out...is there anything else you need done; organize files, cleaning up. Please I wanna be useful" Ruby said excitedly, "I'm sumped with the Kathryn Nolan thing, if you maybe wanna grab us lunch, I can never say no to a grilled cheese" Emma replied, "Done! You two want anything?" she asked Hazel and Henry, "two chocolate chip cookies...a half a pie...and a hot dog" Henry answered, "He eat at school" Emma said as she turned to go to her desk, "Hazel?" Ruby asked "I'm good thanks" she said, Ruby then headed towards the door just as Mary Margaret came in, "Hey, lunch Mary Margaret? I'm getting it for everyone" Ruby asked, "no...not hungry..." she replied vaguely and then she turned to Emma, "David's in the woods" she said, Hazel frowned and looked round at this, "There's something wrong with him...he looked right through me. Its like...it's like he was a different person" Hazel felt worried and and looked from Emma to Mary Margaret, Emma then broke the silence, "Alright...I'll look into it" she said and then went on into her office to grab her coat, Henry picked up his book and placed it into a drawer next to him, "Okay kids" Emma said to them both, "I don't mean to kick you out, but I gotta go see if David's in some kinda trouble out there" she tossed a bunch of keys to Henry who caught them and locked the drawer he had just placed the book into, "It's okay, I'm supposed to meet my mum. There" Henry replied, "Nice" Emma said, Hazel smiled and put her arm around Henry, "Come on" she said softly, "You know, you can let Ruby do more" Henry said, "She's Little Red Riding Hood" Hazel raised her eyebrows and hid her smirk, "With the little basket? Yeah, she seems like a bad ass" Emma answered doubtfully, "She is, she just doesn't remember how cool she is or what she's capable of, but it's true" Henry answered, he and Hazel then began to walk out just as Ruby came in, "Hey Ruby" they both said, "Hey Henry, hey Hazel" she said glumly "Got your grilled cheese" she added to Emma but Hazel and Henry heard nothing more after that, "Come on, better get to mums office" she said to him and they hurried off.


	10. Chapter 10

_Fairytale: Italics_

Storybrooke: Normal

 _It had been several weeks since Cass had seen Will and she was getting more and more worried than ever. What if he went back on his agreement? How was she to know if she could really trust him? Cass spent most of her time either shut up in the library or strolling around the gardens. One day while she sat arranging some of the flowers outside, one of the guards came up behind her, "The queen has asked to see you" he announced, Cass spun round at once "Clean yourself up and go to the throne room" he added, Cass didn't argue, she just nodded and hurried into the palace. Once she had washed and given her hair a brush, she hurried on towards the throne room where she found Cora standing by the throne, Cass walked over slowly "You asked to see me?" she said politely, Cora turned and smiled at Cass, "Yes dear" she said kindly "I have meetings today, and thought it would be good for you to sit in on them" she said, Cass did her best not to frown but she was taken aback by this sudden request, "yes...if you like..." she said trying to sound polite but she was very confused, Cora smiled "Wonderful" she said and then went to sit down in the throne, she then indicated to the chair that had been placed beside her, Cass walked over slowly and then perched down on the edge of the seat, still feeling very puzzled. Why on earth had the queen suddenly suggested this._

Hazel went around most of the morning in a complete daze. She couldn't believe what was happening, Mary Margaret had been arrested for Kathryn's murder. It couldn't be true, there's noway she was capable of such a thing. As soon as recess began, Hazel decided to sneak out of school and head over to the Sheriff's station, when she walked in she saw the place was empty apart from Mary Margaret locked up in the cell, Hazel wondered on over "Hey" she said, Mary Margaret looked round, "Hazel? Shouldn't you been in school?" she said to her, "It's recess and I just wanted to come see if you were okay" Hazel answered, just then Emma came into the room, "Hazel?" she said and the girl spun round, "I just came to see Mary Margaret" she said as Emma came up to the cell, Emma nodded and then looked into the cell, "It's not good news...we found a hunting knife in the heating vent in your bedroom" she announced, Hazel frowned curiously, "The heating vent?" Mary Margaret said confused, "Emma, I don't even know where the heating vent in my bedroom is!" "Someone does, and they put a hunting knife in there" Emma answered "I checked for signs of a break in but there weren't any" "You don't believe me..." Mary Margaret said horrified, "Of course she does" Hazel said to her, "But what I think doesn't matter, the evidence is piling up by the hour" Emma said, "Okay, what are you saying?" Mary Margaret asked, "I'm saying you should think about hiring a lawyer" Emma told her, "An excellent idea" came a voice behind them and they all turned to see Mr Gold standing by the door, "Mr Gold...?" Hazel said puzzled "What are you doing here?" Emma asked suspiciously "Offering my legal services" he answered and Hazel frowned slightly, "Your a lawyer?" Emma asked surprised "Ever wondered why am so adept at contracts? I've been following the details of your case Miss Blanchard, and I think you'd be well advised to bring me on as your council" Mr Gold explained "Why is that?" Mary Margaret asked, "Well because the Sheriff had me arrested for nearly beating a man to death and I managed to persuade the judge to drop the charges" he explained, Hazel's frown deepened at this, 'how on earth did he manage that?' "Exerting your influence isn't what's needed here, we need to find the truth" Emma said firmly, "Exerting influence may be exactly what's needed here" Mr Gold said, "What's needed here is for me to do my job!" Emma said firmly again "No one's stopping you! I'm only here to help!" Mr Gold retorted back firmly now, "Enough! Please go..." Mary Margaret said, "You heard her" Emma said to Mr Gold, "No I was talking to you" Mary Margaret told Emma and both she and Hazel turned, confused "Oh Emma...he's right I need help, and you need to do your job or else I'm screwed" Mary Margaret explained, "So just...please...do your job the best you can and you'll prove me innocent" Hazel looked from Emma to Mary Margaret and then glanced back at Mr Gold, "Until you do" Mary Margaret continued "I need some practical help" Mr Gold then came on over to the cell so he was now standing right next to Hazel, "Trust me, this is in Miss Blanchard's best interests" Mr Gold said, Hazel glanced up him and then looked at Emma, "Good luck Mary Margaret" she said softly, "I hope...your best interests are what he's looking out for" she said with a warning look at Mr Gold, "Come on Hazel, I'll take you back to school" she added, Hazel nodded, she smiled slightly at Mary Margaret and then with one final glance at Mr Gold followed Emma out of the Sheriff's station.

 _It was a long day sitting in the throne room, Cass had never realized just how many 'visitors' the queen had in a day and Cass still had no idea why she was even here, she was starting to get very bored and would of loved to be curled up in a corner of the library with a good book. Finally they came to the last person, a man strolled up the walk way with two guards in front of him. He was tall, dressed all in black, his hair was mid length and jet black and he held a long snake like staff. Cass was only half paying attention now as she let her mind start to wonder, "Your majesty" the man said as he reached the throne and bowed his head, "My name is Jafar, I have come from the Sultan of Agrabah" he said, Cora as always was speaking through her long tube instrument, she said something to the man next to her and then next minute he announced for everyone to leave the room, Cass was overwhelmed by this and got up to leave, but Cora took hold of her arm and sat her back down, Cass sighed under her breath and sat back in the chair. Once the room was empty Cora removed her vail and stood up, "So glad you could come all this way" she said as she walked on over towards the man, "It is no trouble at all" Jafar said, "Now the Sultan believes you are in need of gold, which he is happy to oblige to, for a price of course" Cass had went back to only half listening, her mind was pondering over what book she was going to read once she got out of here, "Very well" Cora replied "What is it that the Sultan wishes?" there was a pause for a moment and then Jafar began again "The Sultan is in search for a queen for his heir" he explained, there was another pause for a moment "How about...that girl there" the man added and Cass looked up to see the man was looking directly at her, Cass froze in fear for a moment, surely Cora would never agree to this, "But...I'm not a prin..."Cass began but Cora interrupted "Yes, I'm sure she will make a beautiful queen for the prince" she explained and Cass stared in horror at Cora, Cass then stood up and rushed towards the door, "Excuse me a moment" Cora said to the man and she strolled on after Cass._

 _Cass ran into the hallway and was just about at the other end when she felt herself being lifted magically off the ground, her legs bound tightly together and her arms stuck to her side, "Let me go!" she cried as Cora walked up to her, "You will agree to this dear" she said firmly but softly, "You can't! I'm not some...prize you can marry off to whoever you want!" Cass exclaimed, "You are in my land" Cora said simply "And while you are here, you will do exactly as I say" Cora then lowered Cass to the floor again and released her, but before the girl could run off Cora took hold of her chin tightly and looked her straight in the eyes, "You will do as I say, or else I will let it be known it was you who stole from my vault" she said in a low, threatening voice, Cass stared incredulously at her, "I...I don't know..." Cass began "Do not lie to me, I know it was you who stole that heart" Cora went on, Cass stared in fear now, "So unless you want to see the end of an axe you will go through with this arrangement"_

 _Cass said nothing for a long moment, whatever way she looked at it her life was over, now she would never get back home, now she would never see her father again, it was hopeless, all she could do was agree. So slowly and sadly Cass nodded, Cora smiled then let go off the girl, "Good" she said proudly, "Now, let us tell him the news" they both headed back into the throne room where the man was still waiting, "Go on then dear" Cora said to Cass. The girl stood a little behind Cora and stared down at the ground, "I will marry the prince" she said in a soft, quiet voice and then glanced up at the man, and then a thought struck her, "But I have a condition" she added, the man nodded "Go on" he said, Cass glanced at Cora knowing she was not going to approve but right now she didn't care, she looked back at the man, "I would like to meet him first. Here, before anything happens" she said, there was silence for a moment and then the man nodded, "Very well, I am sure I can have it arranged with the Sultan" he said, Cass nodded and then glanced down again, Jafar then bowed to Cora, "I will tell the Sultan of the arrangements and be back here in two days with the prince" he told her before he turned and walked back along the walk way, Cora then came to stand in front of Cass, "Your doing the right thing dear" she told her "I'm sure you will be a wonderful queen" Cass glanced up at Cora and frowned "I don't WANT to be queen!" she said stubbornly, and for a moment Cora looked slightly startled but then refrained herself "You will dear" she said simply, before touching the girls hair gently and then turned and walked away, Cass watched as Cora walked out of the room, at least she had time, time to make up a plan and escape from this prison. All she had to do was find Will._

Hazel was sitting out in the garden reading one of her favorite books, it was starting to get dark so she switched on the torch she had brought with her. Just then she heard a rustling noise and looked over at the house to see a small figure climbing out of an upstairs window, Hazel frowned and placed the book down on the chair and rushed on over just as Henry reached the grass, "Hey! What are you doing?" she whispered, "Gonna see Miss Blanchard" he told her and then began to hurry off out of the garden, Hazel hesitated for a moment and then went after him.

They reached the Sheriff's station and went on into the office, Hazel then stopped abruptly when she saw the cell door wide open and no one inside, Emma was also nowhere to be seen, Hazel frowned slightly as she went on over to the cell, "Brilliant, must of been an escape plan" Henry said excitedly, Hazel was about to say she very much doubted that but Henry had already rushed on out of the room again, Hazel went into the cell and began to examine everything, trying to work out what had happened, she crouched down beside the bed and peered underneath, she heard a voice behind her, "Sheriff, can you join me please" Hazel turned her head sharply she find Mr Gold standing by the door, a moment later Emma came rushing in, followed by Henry "She's gone" Mr Gold stated, "Henry? Hazel? What did you do?" Emma asked worriedly, "Nothing!" Henry said, "She was gone when we got here" Hazel added as she stood up and came out of the cell, "Her arraignments tomorrow, if she's not there..." Mr Gold said "She's a fugitive! Doesn't matter if she's convicted for Kathryn or not she's screwed" Emma stated and then turned, "I have to go find her, before anyone notices she's missing" Emma said as she hurried over to the office, "You mean Regina?" Mr Gold asked, Hazel walked over so she was standing beside Henry, "The arraignments at 8am, she'll be here bright and early to celebrate her victory!" Emma stated "Well you have until 8am then" Mr Gold said simply, "What about us?" Hazel asked, "How can we help?" Henry added "Go home! Both of you!" Emma said firmly, Henry then went on over to her, "Emma...if she leaves Storybrooke..." Henry said worriedly, "Not now Henry, come on both of you" Emma said as she ushered Henry out and Hazel went on over towards the exit, "Miss Swan, I know time is of the essence, but if Miss Blanchard doesn't return, her futures in jeopardy and if your caught helping her so is yours" Mr Gold stated, "I don't care! I'd rather lose my job than my friend!" Emma said simply, "come on Hazel" she added and Hazel hurried out after Emma.

 _Cass paced around the garden feeling anxious and worried, she bit her lip and she looked round wondering where he was. A moment later Will came darting out from behind one of the bushes and over to her, "What's up?" he asked her, "Change of plan, you got to get me out of here, NOW!" Cass told him, Will frowned "What's happened?" he asked, Cass took a deep breath and she explained, "Cora...the queen...she...she's going to make marry me the prince of Agrabah!" Cass said "The prince is coming here in two days and when he leaves again I'm to go with him...please Will! You have to help me...you have to get me out of here. Tonight!"_ _There was silence for a moment, as if Will were working something out, "Alright" he said, "It'll be tricky, but I think it's doable" he glanced round before speaking again, "Wait for my signal tonight and then sneak out of your room the back way, I'll meet you at the edge of the garden" Cass nodded and looked down slightly, feeling very scared "Don't worry" Will said "I promised I would 'elp ya and I will" he told her, Cass looked up and gave a small smile then nodded, "Tonight then?" Will said, "Tonight" Cass confirmed and with that Will hurried off and Cass sighed to herself, hoping against hope that it worked._

Hazel was sitting in the kitchen the next morning waiting for her mother to come down, Henry had already left for school. They had agreed it would seem suspicious if both of them hung around waiting, so Hazel had told Henry to go on ahead and she would stay and somehow try and stall their mother from getting to the Sheriff's station. Regina walked on into the kitchen, "Why are you not away yet Hazel?" she said, Hazel thought for a moment trying to come up with a good enough answer, "I...I wanted to ask you something" she said slowly trying to think of something to say and then she had it, "Can't it wait dear?" Regina asked impatiently, "I suppose...it's just...this is something I've wanted to know for a while now and...I think I'm old enough to know" Hazel said slowly, dragging out the words, Regina frowned "What is it?" she asked, Hazel took a deep breath and then said slowly, "Who...who is my father?" she asked and looked up her mother. Regina just stared at Hazel for a moment before speaking, "That...this really isn't the time to get in to that now Hazel" she said simply, Hazel glanced down again "Then when is?" she asked "Your always working, and we never see you. I just feel, Henry knows who his birth mother is, so I should have a right to know who my father is" Hazel said looking up at her mother again. It was true she really did want to know who her father was, there was another long pause, "Alright" Regina said finally "But not now dear. If I get home early enough, I will tell you all that I can" she explained, Hazel was silent for a long time, letting the seconds tick away to bide more time. Finally she nodded "Alright...I suppose" she said, Regina nodded, "Good, now come on I'll take you to school after I drop by the Sheriff's station" she said as she walked on out to the car, Hazel took her time coming to the car and getting in, she was still trying to delay Regina from reaching the station, she only hoped Emma had managed to find Mary Margaret.

Eventually they arrived at the station and Regina parked the car, as they both climbed out, Hazel noticed the Sheriff's car was not in it's space, she bit her lip worriedly and hurried in after Regina, she went to walk a few steps in front of her mother, wanting to see first if Mary Margaret was there. They rounded the corner and Hazel's heart skipped a beat when she saw Mary Margaret sitting on the bed reading a newspaper, "Madam Mayor" she said bluntly, "Good morning..." Regina said after a moments pause, Hazel smiled brightly over at Mary Margaret, Mr Gold then stepped out in front of Regina and Hazel, "Excuse me, but my client is not having any visitors" he said simply, "Of course not" Regina said firmly but quietly "I'll see you both out" Mr Gold said, Regina then turned to leave, Hazel did the same, not before flashing small smile in Mary Margaret's direction, she then followed her mother and Mr Gold out. Once in the hallway Regina turned to her daughter, "Hazel! Go wait in the car!" she said firmly, Hazel rolled her eyes and hurried along the corridor.

 _Cass stayed in her room all night_ _waiting for the signal from Will. She was beginning to get rather nervous; What if it all went wrong? What if they were caught trying to sneak out? They would surely kill Will for trying to help her, Cass kept pondering with all these worries when suddenly there was a faint tap on the window and she rushed over to look out. There was Will standing outside, a few feet away, behind a tree, he gave her a nod and Cass nodded in response, then she darted away from the window and over to the door, she took a deep breath and then slowly opened it, making sure at first that the coast was clear, Cass hurried out of the room and towards the grounds to meet Will._

Hazel was sat in the Sheriff's office on the chair beside the cell, she had once again skipped school during recess to go and see Mary Margaret. Emma and Mr Gold were standing by the cell, arguing "A pretrial interview with the prosecution? Explain to me how that is a good idea?" Emma said doubtfully, "The DA merely wishes to ask Miss Blanchard a few questions" Mr Gold said simply, "She's done answering questions, and why are we kissing up to the DA, why aren't we going after Regina? She's the one whose setting up Mary Margaret!" Emma said, "And what proof do we have of that Sheriff? Just because you found the mayors skeleton key in the cell, doesn't mean we can prove she put it there!" Mr Gold replied "So what's the plan?" Hazel added looking at each of them, "I believe our best chance of winning this case, is to implore our most valuable asset" Mr Gold stated, "What's that?" Mary Margaret asked, "Well that's you, dear" Mr Gold answered, Hazel frowned slightly, "A sweet, kind, elementary school teacher. Doesn't exactly fit the prototype of a killer now does it?" "That's how your gonna get her acquitted? By using her personality?" Emma said doubtfully, "Perception is everything Miss Swan, not just in a court room but in life. As such I'm sure you can imagine how the jury would perceive Miss Blanchard, if she agreed to corporate with the district attorney, these things engender trust. It shows the jury she's at least trying..." he was then interrupted by a call from the door, "Emma?" and they all looked round to see Sydney Glass come in, "I...I'm sorry to interrupt. I just...came by to drop these off, I thought they might brighten the place up" Emma then walked on over towards the office.

Hazel watched Emma leave and then looked round as Mary Margaret stood up and began to speak quietly with Mr Gold. A few minutes later Emma finished talking to Sydney and came back over to them, "I'm gonna do it" Mary Margaret stated, Hazel looked round sharply at her, "I'm gonna talk to the DA" she added, "Are you sure?" Emma asked, concerned, "Mr Gold's right. I know I have nothing to hide, but no one else does. I need to let people see me for who I am" Mary Margaret stated, "Excellent decision, Miss Blanchard" came a voice from the door and they all turned to see a man standing there, Regina then walked in behind him and Hazel tried to make herself hidden behind Emma but knew it wouldn't work, "My name is Spencer. I'm the district attorney. Shall we begin?" the man said simply, Hazel looked back at Mary Margaret who nodded confidently, "Hazel?" came Regina's voice and the girl turned her head back, "Why are you not in school?" Hazel said nothing and just stared down at the ground, Regina then strolled over to the girl and took hold of her arm, "Go and wait in the car!" she said firmly and ushered Hazel out of the room.

 _Cass managed to make it to the gardens surprisingly with no trouble at all, but now came the tricky part. She knew there were guards situated around the grounds every single hour, how on earth were they going to manage to sneak out. She found Will still hiding behind a tree and hurried on over to him, "So what's the plan?" she asked him, "Put this on for a start" he said handing her a hooded cloak, Cass took it and placed it over herself, "Put the hood up, to hid your face" he told her and she did so. They both looked out from behind the tree, towards the gates at the end, there were two guards standing on patrol at it, "So...how do we get passed them?" Cass whispered curiously, "Let me handle them" Will told her and without another word he strolled on out from behind the tree and walked towards the gate in plain sight, Cass frowned wondering what on earth he was doing. Will reached the guards and said something to them, that Cass could not hear what was being said but then a moment later both the guards went rushing off towards the palace. Once they were out of sight Will signaled to Cass and she hurried on over, "What did you do?" she asked curiously, "Get the guards worried enough and they'll believe anything ya say" he told her "Come on, we won't have long till they come back" and with that Will pulled open the gate and they both hurried out of the gardens and towards the woods. As they reached the shelter of the trees, Cass felt a sudden rush of freedom fill her, "Keep your hood up" Will told her "Just to be safe" Cass nodded but all the time she was thriving. She was doing it. She was getting away and now she would find a way back home and to her father. Nothing was going to stop her._


	11. Chapter 11

_Fairy Tale Land: Italics_

Storybrooke: Normal

 _Cass and Will traveled for a long time until eventually that came upon a small village a mile or so away from the palace, they wondered around and soon came across an old, abandoned farm house "We'll lay low here till the guards lose our trial" Will told her, Cass nodded as they went into the house, it wasn't much and you could tell straight away no one had lived in it for years, all the furniture was rotten away, the paint was chipped from the walls and there was a smell of dampness in the air, "It's not much..." Will said "But it will do for now" Cass looked round the house and then at Will, "It's perfect" she told him "It's just the right kind of place to hid out" Cass went on over to a small grate that used to be a fireplace and began shoving out the old ashes with her hands, she then looked back at Will, "Shame we don't have any wood" she said to him, "Would be a bit risky to start a fire, but I suppose it will keep us warm" Will said, Cass smiled "I didn't mean for you to go..." she began to say but Will shook his head, "Don't worry, I'll go out and gather some wood" he told her, Cass smiled "Thank you Will...for everything" she said gratefully, Will nodded his head "I won't be long, and remember if you leave the house keep that cloak on" he told her and Cass nodded, Will then turned and headed out of the house and Cass went back to scraping out the fireplace._

Hazel was walking along main street, completely in a world of her own, when she caught sight of Henry and the stranger up ahead, she frowned slightly and rushed on over to them, "Hey, what's happening?" she asked and they both looked round at her, "We're doing some undercover work...for Operation Cobra" Henry explained, "Right, we're a go" the man said, Hazel frowned "Why are you outside Mr Gold's shop?" Hazel asked, "Just a little work I need done" the man told her, Hazel glanced at him and then at Henry, "Need some help?" she asked, Henry nodded and then man added, "I guess an extra pair of hands wouldn't hurt" Hazel smiled and then the man ushered them both towards the shop and they hurried over, Henry went in first and Hazel followed, the bell jingled as they entered and Mr Gold came through from the back of the shop, "Hey, Mr Gold" Henry said cheerfully, "Good morning Henry, Hazel. What can I do for you two?" he said, "We wanted to get a gift for Miss Blanchard" Henry said, "Oh I see" Mr Gold replied, "Since she didn't kill Kathryn Nolan" Hazel added, "Good thinking" Mr Gold added, Henry then went to look at something with Mr Gold and Hazel wondered around the shop, "Are these bells?" Henry asked from the other side of the shop, Hazel zoned out of their conversation, she then came across something that caught her eye. It was a small, silver chain with a dainty book charm hanging from it, Hazel frowned curiously and then slowly she reached out to pick it up...

 _Cass and Will were strolling around the market place, looking for some food to bring back to the house. Will had a little money as did Cass, but as Will said you can easily get stuff for 'free' if you know how. Cass let Will do all the stealing as this was his trade and she just looked around at all the stalls, she stopped to look at some nice jewellery and her eyes fell upon a small, silver chain with a book charm on it, "Wow, that's beautiful" she said to herself, "How much for that?" she asked the trader, "Three silvers" he grunted back, Cass looked in her pocket and sighed knowing she didn't have enough for it, "Doesn't matter..." she said and then moved on. They eventually left the market and Will revealed the food he had managed to steal, which consisted of; a loaf bread, a few red apples, some crackers and a jar of something, he then took something else from his pocket, "Here" he said placing a small object into her hand, Cass looked down and gasped as she saw the dainty silver necklace with the book charm lying in her palm, "Will? You didn't..." she gasped as she looked up at him, "Heard you saying you like it" he told her, Cass smiled slightly and looked down at the pendant again then back at Will, "Thank you" she said gratefully and then opened up the clasp and placed the silver chain around her neck, "What do you think?" she asked, "You look lovely" he said "And that charm really suits you...book worm" Cass gasped playfully and gave him a small punch on the arm, "Cheeky" she said and then laughed, they then began heading back towards the farm house_

"Hazel?...Hazel?..." the voice was distant and soft, Hazel slowly opened her eyes and looked around, her vision was hazy for a second and then everything started to become clear. She was lying on a hard, wooden surface and her head was thumping like a thousand hammers were banging inside it, she looked round and saw Henry leaning over her, "Hazel?" he said again, worry on his face, "What...what happened?" she asked, her voice sounding quiet and croaky, "You fainted" Henry explained to her, "You took quite a fall" came another voice and Hazel looked round to see Mr Gold standing on the other side of her, "Are you alright dear?" he asked her with a hint of concern in his voice, Hazel slowly sat up and she leaned against the nearest counter, "Yeah...just...just fell a little light headed, I guess" she said softly trying to remember what she'd seen before she'd passed out, but it was like one of those dreams you have at night and then forget almost immediately when you wake up, Hazel watched as Mr Gold went through to the back of the shop and then came back with a glass in his hand, "Here" he said holding out the glass to Hazel "Don't worry, it's just water" he told her, Hazel smiled gratefully and took the glass from him, she then sipped it causally and she instantly began to feel refreshed, "What happened?" Henry asked, "I just saw you pick up that" he pointed to the pendant that was now in Hazel's hand "Then suddenly you just collapsed" Hazel thought for a moment, not quite understanding any of it, "Dunno...I just...felt a little...dehydrated...I suppose" she said, uncertain. There was silence for a moment and Hazel sipped at the water slowly, trying to remember exactly what she had seen but the more she tried the harder it became to remember anything, "You okay now?" Henry asked her, concerned and Hazel smiled slightly "Yeah...just feel a bit dizzy that's all" she replied. After a moment Hazel placed her hand on the counter next to her and hoisted herself up, Mr Gold helped her by holding gently onto her arm, giving her support, "Are you sure you alright dear?" he asked her, Hazel nodded again "Yeah...I probably just need some fresh air" she told him and then handed him back the glass, "Thank you" she said with a smile, Mr Gold nodded as he took the glass, "Your welcome. So long as you are feeling better" he said, Henry then went and paid for his present and Hazel placed the necklace back where she had found it and they both left the shop, Hazel thanked Mr Gold once again before she went out.

Later that day, Hazel and Henry were both at Mary Margaret's flat for her welcome home party. There was a quite a few people milling around and chatting to one another, Henry was sitting with the stranger who Hazel had now discovered was named August, she was over in the kitchen area getting a couple of drinks for herself and Henry, she poured a cup of juice for him and while no one was looking scooped a ladle full of the alcoholic punch into her own glass, she then went and took Henry's cup over to him, she noticed Henry was watching Mr Gold closely who was standing on his own at the other end of the room, "How bad was it?" he asked in a whisper, "Getting caught in his office? Not bad, I played it off" August admitted, "What were you looking for? Did you find it?" Henry asked, "Nope, but I've got a feeling it's gonna find me" August told him, Hazel frowned slightly and then looked over at Mr Gold who she realised was now looking straight at her, she briefly heard August say to Henry "There she is, go give her your present" and for some reason Hazel felt herself walking on over to Mr Gold, "Hi" she said as she reached him, "Hazel? What can I do for you?" he asked her, Hazel glanced down slightly for a moment "I...just wanted to say thank you again...you know for earlier...when I..." Hazel cut off feeling slightly embarrassed, "It's no trouble, I'm just glad your feeling better" he told her, Hazel glanced up and smiled slightly, "Here" he said, he then took something out of his pocket and handed it to her, Hazel felt something light and delicate land into her hand, she looked down and saw the small, silver chain with it's book charm, she frowned and looked up at Mr Gold "Your...your giving me this?...Why?" she asked curiously, "You seemed like you really like it and the charm suits you" he told her again, Hazel was still puzzled but she smiled and said thank you, "Hey kid!" she heard Emma call from across the room and Hazel turned her head, "You better get home, before your mum finds out" Emma told her, Hazel nodded and then looked back at Mr Gold, "Thanks again" she said before drinking up her punch and then headed over to where Emma and Henry were.

When Emma opened the door they found David standing on the other side of it, "Hey Henry, Hazel" he said as they both came out, "You two alright" he asked, "Yeah" they both answered "We gotta get home and do homework" Hazel told him, David looked round at Emma, "She's kinda tired. I think if you just give it some time" Emma told him "But I just wanted to..." David began but then Emma interrupted, "Hey kids, why don't you head home with David" she said to them, "Okay" Henry said, "Sorry..." Emma said sadly to David, he nodded understandingly, "Okay..." he said and then backed off from the door and walked with Hazel and Henry.

 _Cass was in the farm house preparing some food for both her and Will, she cut a couple slices from the loaf they had gotten and opened up the jar of jam to make some sandwiches, she then brought them both over and gave one to Will, "There probably not great, but at least its food" she said "Thanks" he said and they both eat in silence for a while. After a few minutes Cass finally spoke, "So...who long will we stay here?" she asked him, "Few days...just until the guards are off our trail" he told her, "I would continue wearing your hood though, just encase" Cass nodded and then went back to eating her sandwich, "Do you...I mean, have you got any idea where to find this...rabbit?" she asked him, "I've got a hunch" he admitted, "I just hope I'm right about it and that it can help" Cass nodded again, "You know...if he can help me get back...you could...come with me you know" she said slowly, staring at the ground, she then looked up at him and he sighed sightly, "The Enchanted Forest, right?" he said, Cass nodded, "I promised myself, I would never go back there" he said and Cass frowned "Why?" she asked curiously, "To much history" Will admitted, Cass nodded and said nothing more on the subject and just continued to eat up her food and they stayed in silence the rest of the time_

Hazel was in the playground with her friends chatting, before the bell rang for class, she then saw her mother cross the playground and go over to speak to Mary Margaret, she frowned slightly wondering what on earth she was doing at the school, after a moment Mary Margaret walked away and Henry went on over to her, "I'll be right back" she said to her friends and then walked on over towards her mother, "What are you doing here?" she asked curiously, "Henry forgot his lunch box" Regina told her, she then brought Henry over to a bench nearby and Hazel followed, listening closely, "Henry, it's time for a change. I think it's time we transfer you to a new class, with a new teacher" Regina said simply, "Why don't you want me in Miss Blanchard's class? Is it because you framed her?" Henry replied, "Henry! Do you really think I'm capable of doing something so horrible" Regina said shocked, 'Yes' Hazel thought to herself, "Of course! Your the evil queen!" Henry answered, "Enough! Those fairy tales are not real! Miss Blanchard should never of given you that book, she should be grateful I'm not trying to get her fired!" Regina said firmly, "Go ahead and try! It won't work. No matter what you do Snow White will have her happy ending. She and Prince Charming will be together. The curse will end. Good. Will. Win." Henry said firmly, Hazel smirked slightly at his boldness, "And I'm not transferring classes" he added before walking off towards the school building, Hazel watched him leave and then looked at her mother who sat in shock, "You shouldn't wreak his imagination you know" Hazel told her mother, "It's not healthy for him!" Regina said firmly, "So! If it makes him happy then let him be happy!" Hazel said stubbornly back, the bell rang and Hazel rushed off towards the school building.

Later on Hazel was heading back to the house after spending a long time at Granny's, she had ended up having dinner there without even telling her mother, which she knew she would get into trouble for but right now she didn't care. As she arrived back at the house she hesitated a moment before walking in, the first thing she noticed as she walked into the hall was a shattered mirror on the floor, Hazel frowned slightly, "Mum?" she called out, a moment later Regina appeared from the kitchen, "Where have you been?" she asked firmly, Hazel shrugged, "I was at Granny's and ended up having dinner there" she said, "Sorry...I meant to phone" she added, she then glanced round at the shattered mirror and then looked back at Regina, "What happened?" she asked curiously, "I had a small accident" she replied simply, Hazel frowned, "It's broke beyond repair..." Hazel said, "Don't you have homework to do" Regina said, changing the subject, Hazel sighed and then headed on up to her room.


	12. Chapter 12

_Fairy tale Land: Italics_

Storybrooke: Normal

Hazel struggled to sleep that night, she kept tossing and turning or waking with a start, after like the hundredth time of waking she finally gave in, getting out of bed, she went downstairs to fill herself a glass of water, on her way back up she stopped at the top of the stairs, seeing Regina peering into Henry's bedroom, "Mum?" she said, puzzled and Regina looked round swiftly, "What are you doing?" Hazel asked her, "I was checking on Henry. What are you doing up at this time?" she asked, "I couldn't sleep, so I was getting a glass of water" Hazel replied, Regina then nodded, "Alright, go on back to bed" she said, Hazel nodded and strolled into her bedroom and sat down on the bed, she placed the glass onto the bedside table and just sat thinking, finally she felt herself lay softly down onto the bed and fell fast asleep

 _"Cass?!" Will cried out as he came running into the farm house, Cass was asleep in a corner of the room, her hands were laid underneath her head for a pillow, she awoke abruptly when she heard Will's voice, "What...what's going on?" she asked curiously as she sat up, "We gotta get out of here" Will said hurriedly, "The soldiers, their coming, their gonna search the village" Cass instantly got up and sprang to action. They both packed up as much food as they could, Cass then placed the cloak over her, putting the hood up and then proceeded out the back way with Will, hoping it would give them a better chance of a getaway. They were wrong. As they came round the house, they saw the soldiers rally all the villagers together into a large group, once they were all out the leader began to speak, "We're looking for a girl" he announced to the crowd, he then held up a poster with a sketched picture of Cass stamped on it, "If you have seen her, you will tells us now" the guard went on, Will then tugged at Cass' sleeve and she looked round, "Come on. We gotta get out of here" he said to her, Cass looked back round at the crowd again and bit her lip, she then spied a stables nearby and it gave her an idea, "How are you at riding?" she asked him, Will frowned "What?" he said, puzzled "We're never gonna get out of here on foot" Cass said insistently, "Come on" she said, keeping as low as she could she hurried on over towards the stables, Will came in shortly after her, "Are you mad?" Will said frantically, but Cass ignored him and began to saddle up one of the horses, "We'll take just the one" she whispered, once the horse was saddled up Cass then brought him out of his pen and over to Will, "Climb up" she said in more of an order than a request, "You are mad!" Will said, Cass sighed "Look! Do you want to get out of here or not! Get on the horse!" she said firmly, Will then sighed and heaved himself up onto the back of the horse and Cass brought the horse to the door, she then hoisted herself onto the front and then gave it a small kick and they were off. Cass used the reins to make the horse go faster, soon they were in among the trees and hidden from the village._

Hazel was making her way home, she had just dropped Henry off for his session with Archie. As she opened the door and stepped into the house, the smell of baked apples drifted in from the kitchen, Hazel frowned and strolled on over to the kitchen door, she hoovered out of sight as she saw her mother and Emma, "So...what are you proposing?" Regina asked, "I dunno...just figure it out as we go" Emma answered, "But he's my son!" Regina stated simply, "Yeah" Emma said after a long pause, she then turned to leave and Hazel hid herself behind the door, "Oh Miss Swan!" Regina called out and Emma stopped and turned back, Hazel peered round again, "Maybe a little something for the road?" Regina said as she took out a container and began to place something inside, "Thanks..." Emma said, "My famous turnovers. Old recipe. But delicious" she offered the container to Emma who hesitated for a moment before taking it, "Thank you" she said, "I do hope you like apples" Regina said brightly, Emma then turned to leave and Hazel stepped out from behind the door, "Your leaving?" she said worriedly, Emma sighed "Yeah...Hazel...it's for the best" she replied, "But...what about Henry...he needs you" Hazel said to her, "Hazel...I'm doing this for him...trust me it's for the best" Emma said sadly, "No! No it's not! He needs you Emma! He's happy with you. He's...he's better..." Hazel said, tears now forming in her eyes, "Hazel! That's enough!" Regina said firmly to her, Hazel looked from her mother to Emma then she spun round and ran up the stairs to her room, slamming the door behind her.

 _After hours of riding Cass and Will finally stopped to rest, they slid down off the horse and Cass tied the reins to a branch, "So..." Cass said "What now?" she looked round at Will, "Well...if my hunch is correct, I think I've got a pretty good idea where this white rabbit is and if I'm not mistaken its not far from here" Cass nodded, "Alright then, lets get going" she said, she went to untie the reins again, suddenly there was the sound of twigs snapping from the trees nearby, Cass turned her head sharply towards the noise and tensed herself, a moment later a man appeared from out of the trees. He was tall, with short dark hair, wearing all black leather and had a hook for a hand, Cass also noticed he was carrying a man over his shoulder, "Alright there" the man said, "Either of you two know the way to the palace?" he asked them, Will was about to answer but Cass got in first, "Well...the quickest way is to go about a mile or two that way" she said pointing behind them "Then you get caught by some guards and you'll be taken straight to the queen" the man stared at her for a moment as if he recognized her, then he shook himself and nodded, "Thanks luv" he said and then carried on walking, they both watched him as he went into the trees, "Was he carrying a dead body?" Cass asked worriedly, "Seemed to be Will said, Cass then shook herself, "Come on! We gotta find this rabbit" she said and she hoisted herself back up onto the horse and Will climbed up behind her, they then trotted off into the trees, the opposite way the man had just gone._

Hazel was sitting at home doing her homework, her mother had said she was going to run out to the office for a bit, but told Hazel she was to phone her when Henry got home, just then the phone rang, Hazel sighed and got up to answer it "Hello?" she said into the receiver, "Hello? Is Miss Regina Mills there?" the voice said on the other end, "No she's not here right now, can I take a message?" Hazel replied, "Who may I ask am I speaking to?" the man asked, "This is her daughter" Hazel said, "We are phoning to let her know, her son has just been brought into hospital" the man said. Hazel felt like a stone had dropped into her stomach, "What?" she said fearfully, "What's...what's happened?" she asked "We are unsure...it will be best if your mother comes straight down...is there another number we can reach her on?" the man said, Hazel was completely dazed for a moment but then came to and gave the man Regina's office number, as soon as she hung up she rushed out of the house and headed towards town, to the hospital.

When she arrived, she dashed straight to the reception desk, "Henry Mill's has been brought in...where is he?! Please!" she said worriedly, the receptionist was startled for a moment but she gave Hazel the room number and Hazel rushed off, she got to the room and burst in, "Henry?!" she cried and went on over towards the bed, standing beside Emma, "What's happened?!" Hazel said as she looked down at her little brother lying helpless on the bed, "He eat this!" Emma said holding up a bag with the apple turnover inside, Hazel looked round at her and then down her Henry again, "I think it's poisoned!" Emma added, Dr Whale then checked inside Henry's mouth, "His airways clear" he said "He took a bite of this and he just collapsed!" Emma said frantically now, "So run the test for, arsenic or bleach or whatever could of done this to him!" Emma demanded now, "The boy is showing no symptoms that would suggest any of those, so whatever is going on, this is not the culprit!" Dr Whale said, Hazel looked round, "What else could it be?..." Hazel asked worriedly, "I dunno..." Dr Whale said, "That's what I'm trying to find out..." Hazel looked down at Henry again, "He's gonna be okay though right?..." Hazel asked, tears in her eyes now, "Now we just need to stabilize him, cause he's slipping away. Is there anything else you can remember. Any little detail?" Dr Whale said, "I already told you everything. DO SOMETHING!" Emma said as she walked away from the bed, Hazel however stayed by Henry, "Look, I understand your frustrated Miss Swan, I do. But I need something to treat and right now there is no explanation, it's like..." Dr Whale cut off, and Hazel heard Emma mutter "Like magic..."

A few minutes later Regina came rushing into the room, "Where's my son?!" she cried out and then stopped by the bed, Hazel was up at Henry's head, stroking his hair back gently, she looked back at her mother, suddenly Emma grabbed hold of Regina's arm and began to drag her out of the room, Hazel frowned wondering what was happening but she looked back round at her little brother, "Hazel?" she heard Dr Whale say, "Hazel, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the room for now" he said, Hazel shook her head still looking down at Henry, "No...I can't leave him" she said sadly, "Please Hazel..." Dr Whale said, she then felt herself being walked gently out of the room, Hazel stayed by the window, looking in at her little brother the whole time.

 _They finally arrived at their destination, Cass slid down off the horse and Will landed beside her, "So...where's this rabbit then?" she asked, Will then walked on over to a little house and knocked on the door. Nothing happened for a moment and Will was just about to knock again when the door opened and there stood the strangest creature Cass had ever seen. The rabbit stood on two legs, he had long ears, wearing a grey suit and wore purple glasses over his eyes, Cass stared at him for a moment and then Will spoke, "We were hoping you could help us" he said to him, "Oh yes, and what would you need help with young man?" he said, "Are you able to help get me home. To the Enchanted Forest?" Cass said eagerly, there was a pause as if the rabbit were considering it and then he spoke again, "Well, it just so happens your in luck, I can help you" he said and Cass felt her heart beat with joy, "Who is it?" came a cry from inside the house and Cass tried to peer inside to see, "Nothing my dear" the rabbit called "Just a spot of business" another rabbit appeared at the door, female this time, "Business, I'll give you business..." she said and then stopped abruptly when she caught sight of Cass and Will, "Oh sorry...forgive my rudeness" she said "I'm not normally like this" the rabbit gave a slight cough and the women rabbit hit him over the head, "Alright, go and get helping them" she said, Cass smiled brightly, this was it, she was finally going home._

 _Just then there was the sound of shouts from the trees behind them and they all spun round, "The soldiers!" Will said, "They found us!" Cass stared in panic and bit her lip, Will then leaped up onto the horse and looked down at Cass, "Go on! I'll try and slow 'em down" he said, Cass stared up at him in fear, "But...you'll get hurt...or die..." she said worried, "If it gets you home, I don't care" he said, Cass stared in disbelief at him, "Will, wait!" she called, she then heaved herself up onto the horse, "What you doing..." he began but then Cass brought him to her and kissed him, she then withdrew and stared at him, "I know you can't feel the same but...I had to let you know" she said before sliding down off the horse and looking up at Will, "Be careful, Will" she said sadly, tears in her eyes, Will stared in bewilderment, he then shook himself and then kicked the horse gently and rode off into the trees, Cass never took her eyes off him for one moment, then then rabbit brought her back to attention, "Are you ready?" he said, Cass looked down at him, she then looked once more into the trees and then nodded, "Yeah...I'm ready" she said. The rabbit then began to dig a hole and moments later a portal opened up, "Now remember, keep thinking about where you want to go" he called to her, Cass nodded and closed her eyes as she thought of home, "Goodbye Will..." she whispered under her breath and then she jumped into the portal and began to fall through the air._

Once the doctors were finished setting up the equipment, Hazel instantly went back into the room and over to the bedside, she sat down in a chair by her brother and held his hand, "Henry...please...come back...come back to me...I need you..." she whispered softly, her eyes beginning to water again. After a bit Emma came back, she walked on over to Henry and pushed his hair back gently, Hazel then got up and went to wait outside, giving them a little privacy, her mother was standing just outside the room, Hazel stared at her for a moment and then flung herself into her mother, hugging her tightly "He'll be okay...right?..." she whispered fearfully, Regina hugged Hazel back and softly stroked her hair, "I...don't know..." she said truthfully, and then Hazel withdrew from the hug and looked up at her mother, "Did...did you have something to do with it?..." she asked her curiously, Regina stared, shocked at this "Of course not!" she said sharply, "It's just...Emma said that he eat that turnover thing you made and then collapsed" Hazel told her, Regina was about to answer when she looked passed the girl and into the room beyond, Hazel looked round to see Emma leaving the room, "Say what you gotta say, you got ten minutes" Emma said sharply, "You know where to meet?" Regina asked as she walked towards the door, "Yeah! Don't be late!" Emma replied sharply, Regina then went into the room and Emma began to head along the corridor, Hazel went after her "Emma?" she called, "What's going on?" she asked, "We got some things to sort out kid" she said to her, Hazel glanced down slightly feeling her eyes fill up with tears again, Emma then came over to her "Don't worry...it'll be..." she began but then cut off and just gave the girls arm a gentle stroke before turning and walking off, Hazel then went back towards the room to see her mother leaving, "Mum?" she said "Hazel, stay with Henry. There's something I've got to do" Regina said, Hazel nodded and then watched as her mother walked off and then she went back towards the room just as someone else came out, "Who are you?" she asked curiously, "A friend of your mothers" he told her, Hazel frowned but before she could ask anymore the man rushed off down the corridor, Hazel watched him curiously before heading back into the room and she sat down by Henry's side, holding his hand again.

A little while later Mary Margaret came into the room, "Hey" she said, Hazel looked round "Anything?" she asked, Hazel shook her head and looked back down at her brother, "He's still just the same..." she said softly and sniffed back more tears, "You know I was thinking, maybe we could read to him. You know like I did with...David...it might help" Mary Margaret suggested, Hazel nodded knowing it couldn't hurt, Mary Margaret then picked up the Once Upon a Time book, which was lying on the table by the bed and began to read.

 _The ground suddenly erupted and Cass was thrown head first out of the rabbit hole, she shook herself off as she sat up, looking around. She knew where she was straight away, even though she had been away from it for so long she still knew this forest like the back of her hand, someone nudged her and she looked round to see the rabbit standing there, "Thank you rabbit!" she exclaimed happily to him, he nodded his head "Your very welcome. If you ever find yourself in Wonderland again, be sure to stop by" he said to her, Cass nodded and just as the rabbit was about to dig another hole she called out, "Can you do me a favor? If you see Will, make sure he's safe" she asked him, the rabbit nodded and with that he dug another portal and hopped on through, Cass smiled as she watched him disappear, she then looked in the direction of the castle "I'm coming Papa" she whispered to herself and then hurried on through the trees_.

"And yes she was beyond hope. Beyond saving. This was her end. When Prince Charming saw his beloved Snow White in her glass coffin, he knew all that was left was to say goodbye...he had to give her one last kiss, and when he did true love proved more powerful then any curse. A pulse of pure love shuddered out and engulfed the land, waking up Snow White and bringing light to the darkness" Mary Margaret stopped reading and looked up at Henry, Hazel was still by the bed holding Henry's hand, tears streaming down her cheeks, Mary Margaret then placed the book down and took Henry's other hand, "Henry...when I gave you this book it was because I knew...I know life doesn't always have a happy ending...but I thought..." she was then cut off by a loud beeping sound coming from the monitor, Hazel and Mary Margaret both looked round worriedly, "What is that?..." Hazel said, "DR WHALE!" Mary Margaret cried, at once Dr Whale came running in with a nurse, "What is that! What's wrong!" Hazel cried hysterically, "Nurse, get those two out of here now!" Dr Whale ordered, "No-no-no-no..." Hazel cried as she was ushered out of the door, "No I want to stay! please! HENRY!" she cried, both she and Mary Margaret were taken out, Hazel heard Dr Whale say, "His heart rate is falling..." then they were outside the room and could hear no more, Hazel watched from the door, tears streaming down her face, Mary Margaret was ushered all the way out, the nurse then tried to bring Hazel out also but she threw her off, "No! I'm staying here!" she cried out as she watched her brother being treated

 _"Papa!" Cass cried as she flung open the doors to the castle and began racing round the building looking for her father, "PAPA!" she shouted louder now, "I'm home! I'm back now Papa!" she cried, she came into the main room and stopped by the large table, looking all around, "Papa?..." she said again. Then suddenly the mirror beside her began to glow and next minute it showed a long, dark corridor with a cell at the end, Cass turned to face the mirror as the image moved closer to the cell, once it had reached the cell she saw a dark figure in the corner, "Papa?..." she said quietly, the figure stirred and moved closer when it heard the voice, she then saw the form of her father come into the light, "PAPA!" she cried, "Cass?..." his voice came through the mirror. Suddenly a thick, purple smoke came into the room behind her and began to surround Cass, she heard her fathers voice calling for her again, "I'll find you Papa!" she shouted over the loud wind created by the smoke, "I promise, I'll find you!" and the smoke enveloped her and she could see, hear and remember no more._

Hazel was still standing by the door when Emma and Regina came running in, she turned, her face a mask of tears and then Dr Whale came out with Mother Superior, "We did everything we could..." Dr Whale said sadly, "I'm sorry...your to late..." Mother Superior added, Hazel broke down and fell to the floor, Emma walked on into the room, Hazel felt her mother crouch down beside her and lift her to her feet again, Hazel the rushed into the room to see the nurse taking off the oxygen mask from Henry's mouth, Emma moved over to Henry's side and leaned down to him, Regina then came into the room and over to the bed, Hazel spun round and buried her face into her mother, weeping hysterically, Regina put her arms around Hazel and leaned her head on the girls shoulder, Hazel then faintly heard Emma whisper "I love you Henry..." Suddenly Hazel felt as though a wave had rushed over her, she spun round to face the bed and everything came flooding back. Cass came to light. Emma moved back from the bed and Henry gave a huge gasp and woke up, everyone stared in shock, "I love you too!" Henry said to Emma, "You saved me" he added, "You did it!" Regina said in bewilderment. Dr Whale and Mother Superior both stared, transfixed at Emma, "Henry...what's going on?..." Emma said slightly afraid now, "The curse...I think you broke it!" Henry said excitedly, "That was true loves kiss" Mother Superior explained to them, "No...NO!" Regina said firmly, "If I were you your majesty, I'd find a place to hide" Mother Superior said firmly to her, Regina then rushed passed Cass and over to the bed, "Henry...no matter what you think...no matter what anyone tells you...I do love you..." Regina said, Cass frowned at her, Regina then turned and sped out of the room, Cass watched her go and then looked back round at Emma and Henry.

Cass walked on over to the bed and sat down in one of the chairs, trying to absorb everything that had happened, Emma then spoke "Henry?...What's going on here?" she said and Cass looked round at her, "If the curse was broken, why didn't they go back?" she asked, Cass frowned curiously, she was wondering that exact same thing, "I...I don't know..." Henry admitted. Just then there was a clatter from across the room, they turned to see one of the nurses staring transfixed out of the window and Cass, Henry and Emma all ran over to her, "You okay?" Emma asked concerned, the nurse said nothing and just continued to stare out the window, Cass looked round and stared in horror. A think, purple cloud was quickly ascending over Storybrooke, "What is that?" Emma asked in fear, "Something bad..." Henry answered, Cass looked at them both and then back out the window. She knew exactly what it was and who was bringing it, 'Oh papa...what have you done...?


	13. Chapter 13

They watched as the purple cloud spread around the town and then it disappeared as quickly as it came, Cass stared out the window for a moment and then while nobody was looking she turned and hurried on out of the hospital. As she walked up the main street she looked around at all the families being reunited, Cass then spotted Ruby and Granny nearby and she stopped to watch them. She remember she knew Ruby - or Red as she was actually called from their encounter back in the Enchanted Forest, she then spotted Mary Margaret and David coming over and Cass stared at them, she also knew that Mary Margaret was Snow White, she had once helped Snow out once when she was running from Regina's guards, of course Cass never told either of them who she really was, just her name, she watched as Mary Margaret and David went over to Ruby and Granny, Cass then turned and hurried on along the street, she stopped on the opposite side of the road from the shop, Cass just stood there staring at the door, trying to force herself to go on over, she wanted to more than anything but at the same time she was hesitant, she knew it had been her father who had brought the purple smoke. The magic to Storybrooke but she couldn't think why and this made her puzzled and concerned.

Just then she saw him walking towards the shop from the direction of the woods, there was a women with him, as they approached Cass backed further into the shelter of the building behind her and continued to stare at them. The women seemed young, she had shoulder length brown hair, and was was wearing a long coat over what Cass could only guess was a hospital gown, Cass watched the women curiously, she felt like she knew her but couldn't remember how or who she was, she watched as her father opened the shop door and they both went in, Cass made to go over again but then stopped and moved back, suddenly getting another thought 'What if her father was angry with her?' this thought circled around her head, making her even more nervous, she then realized she couldn't do this now, so she turned on her heels and sped on along the road again, away from the shop.

Cass went back into town and walked about in a daze, trying to pluck up enough courage to go back to the shop but she still felt scared, she was so caught up in her thoughts that she ran right into someone, Cass gasped and looked up "Sorry...I didn't mean to..." she said and then looked up to see Granny standing in front of her, "Sorry..." Cass said again "I wasn't looking..." Granny smiled "Not to worry, Cass isn't it?" Granny said, the girl nodded "I remember you from from your encounter with Red. What are you doing all on your own? Can't you find your family?" Cass nodded slightly, "Something like that..." she replied "Would you like some help? Who are they?" Granny asked, Cass instantly shook her head "I'll be fine...thanks anyway" she said and before anything else could be said, she hurried up the road as fast as she could.

Cass had been sitting down at the docks for ages and before long she realized it was beginning to get dark, and knew she would have to start making her way back into town, so she got up from the pier and began her stroll along the road, as she reached the Sheriff's station the ground suddenly shook violently and the street lamps flickered, Cass gasped fearfully as she looked all around trying to see what was causing this, she then looked upwards to see a dark shape flying over head and drift towards the station, Cass stared in horror as she watched it, "Oh Papa...what now..." she whispered to herself before running into the building.

She hurried straight through towards the office and stopped in the doorway, the dark shape was lingering by the cell and she noticed the door had been ripped clean off it's hinges, Cass then looked passed it to see Regina backing away, a look of fear on her face, Cass knew what it was. A Wraith. She watched as the figure held out it's hand and a force of light came between it and Regina, as the Wraith began to extract her soul, Cass looked around for something to use as a weapon, the closest thing to her was a chair, so she picked it up and ran full pelt towards the figure, "Hey!" she cried and thrust the chair at the Wraith, it retreated for a moment and then sent a huge force that knocked Cass backwards and sent her flying across the room, where she was slammed against the wall, Cass was winded for a few minutes and she watched as the Wraith turned back to Regina and continued it's work, "HEY!" Cass heard a voice and turned to see David running at the Wraith with a chair, Emma and Mary Margaret came in after and Emma ran over to Cass, "You alright kid?" she asked, Cass nodded and looked over to watch the action across the room, David was thrown backwards across the room, Mary Margaret then ran up to the creature with lighting fluid and a lighter in her hands, "OVER HERE!" she shouted and held up both objects, sending a huge blast of flames at the Wraith, it was then forced backwards out of the window.

Cass gave a sigh of relief and they all rushed over towards the cell, Regina lay sprawled on the floor, trying to catch her breath, "What the hell was that thing?" Emma asked as she rushed over to help Regina stand, "A Wraith! A Soul sucker!" Regina answered, "Did I...?" Mary Margaret began, "Kill it? No it's regenerating" Regina cut in "It'll be back" Regina added "It doesn't stop until it devours it's prey...me..." Regina then held up her hand to show a symbol marked on her palm, "So how do we kill?" Emma asked, "There's no way" Cass answered, "You can't kill something that's already dead" "Then we have a problem" Emma said, "No we don't, Regina does!" David said simply, they all turned to looked at him, "What?" Regina said, "David?" Mary Margaret said, "You wanna let her die?" Emma added, "Why not. Then it goes away, then we're safe!" David answered, "That's quite the example your setting for your daughter!" Regina said firmly, "NO! You don't get to judge us!" David said firmly back as he walked over to the cell, "Let me ask you something, where do you think that thing came from?" Regina said, "Gold..." Cass answered quietly and bit her lip slightly, "I made a promise to Henry...she's not dying" Emma said simply, Cass looked round at her and then at Regina, "If it can't be killed what do you suggest?" Mary Margaret said after a few minutes silence, "Send it somewhere it can't hurt anyone..." Regina said

They all headed over to city hall, as Emma and Regina went into the office, Cass went off with David and Mary Margaret to find weapons that could be used for defence, they found a few brooms, "They could be used for torches" Cass suggested, "Fire seems to keep it at bay" the other two nodded and then they made there way to the office, "Torches, for when it comes back" David announced as they entered the room, "I know it's old fashioned, but so am I" he added, "Well...how does it work?" Mary Margaret asked, "It will open a portal to our land" Regina said as they all made their way into the main meeting room, "All we have to do is send the Wraith in there" she added as she placed a hat down on the floor in the middle of the room, "Yeah...just that..." David said sarcastically, "I don't understand...I thought our land was gone?" Mary Margaret questioned, Cass looked round at this, wide eyed "It is...it's sending it to a place that no longer exists...while that's banishing into oblivion" Regina answered, Cass watched as Regina began to spin the hat but nothing happened, then lights began to flicker and there was the sound of wind outside the door, Cass saw David light up one of the brooms, so she picked one up also and lit it, holding it out towards the door, "Regina..." Emma said, "I'm trying!" Regina said as she continued to spin the hat. There was a loud roaring sound and the doors were suddenly flung open, a moment later the Wraith came floating into the room, David ran forwards to try and force it back, Mary Margaret picked up a bottle of something, "Regina!" she cried desperately, "I know!" Regina answered, still trying to make the hat work, Cass held up the torched broom and thrust it at the Wraith, trying to help David, Mary Margaret then began to pour a liquid over railing "Cass, get in here!" she shouted and Cass did as she was told and rushed back to the other side of the railing, "David!" Mary Margaret shouted, he then turned around and shut the railing then set the liquid on fire as a shield, "HURRY!" David shouted as he turned back to the Wraith and continued trying to force it back, "It's not working!" Regina cried, "What's the problem?" Emma shouted, "Magic...it's different here..." Regina answered, "NOW WOULD BE THE TIME!" David shouted over to them.

Cass looked over at Regina just as Emma bent down beside her and touched her arm, instantly the hat began to spin freely and the portal was opened, they all backed away from the hat and David was thrown against the wall, the Wraith was then forced forwards towards the hat, "IT'S COMING!" David shouted, Cass turned her head, "Regina!" she shouted as she pushed her to the side but then got caught in the crossfire and was thrown into the portal with the Wraith, "Hazel!" Emma shouted as grabbed her hand but her other hand lost grip on what she was holding onto and was thrown with Cass into the portal, "NOOOOO!" Mary Margaret and David shouted together, "I'M NOT LOSING HER AGAIN!" Mary Margaret cried and then jumped into the portal herself, "Neither am I!" David shouted, he then jumped over the railing and just as he was about to follow them, the portal closed and he slammed down onto the floor.

When Cass came round everything was very dark, she felt something heavy on top of her, she tried to move it off but it wouldn't budge it, she then thought she could hear a sound above her and next minute the object that the shielding her face was removed and Cass squinted as the light that shone at her was to bright for her eye to adjust to, dimly she could see blurred shapes above her, "Mulan, what is that?" she heard a voice say, "That! That is what brought the Wraith here! That is what killed our prince!" another voice said.


	14. Chapter 14

It felt like they had been traveling for days, the two people who had found the three of them had taken them prisoner; Cass, Emma and Snow all had they hands bound together and were being dragged along behind one of the horse. They finally stopped and Cass felt herself slam into the back of Emma, "What is this place?" Snow called to the person on the nearest horse, "Our home" she said simply, before carrying on riding and all three of them were once again dragged along.

Finally they came to some kind of camp, the two riders slid down off their horses and beckoned all three of them further on, as they walked the people around them stopped what they were doing and watched, "It's like their refugees" Emma stated, "We're survivors!" the main captor said who Cass was beginning to believe was the one named Mulan, Cass then caught Snow's eye and she nodded slightly, Cass frowned for a moment and then nodded back, understanding, she glanced round and saw only one of their captors were right behind them, Snow then struck out, catching the women off guard, she stumbled and fell over, "EMMA, CASS! RUN!" Snow cried, Cass didn't need told twice; they all darted off, suddenly something struck Snow on the back of the head, Cass turned sharply and sped back to her, Emma did too and knelt down beside her, "Mary Margaret!" she cried, Cass however frowned and looked over at Mulan and made to strike, but before she could lift her hands Mulan struck first and hit Cass hard across the head, Cass fell to the ground and just before she blanked out she heard Mulan say, "Take them to the pit!" someone began to drag her across the ground and then everything went blank.

As Cass come round she had the strange sense of someone leaning over her, "Emma?..." she said weakly, her eyes still closed and she slowly put her hand to her head, "Haz...Cass!" she heard Emma say, Cass then sat up slowly her eyes still have closed as she rubbed the back of her head, "What happened...where are we?" she said and then opened her eyes, Emma was kneeling beside her and Snow was still on the ground next to them, out cold "We're in a pit" Emma told her, "Hello Cassey, dear" said a voice and Cass felt a cold shiver run down her spine, she knew that voice, Cass turned her head and then her eyes went wide with fear at who she saw. Cora.

Cass backed off slightly, "No..." she said fearfully, "Cass it's okay, it's fine" Emma tried to explain, "No! Emma you don't understand...you don't..." she began but was cut off by Snow who had woken up, "Emma!...Cass!..." they both looked round and saw the look of horror on her face, the same look that Cass had, "No..." Snow whispered fearfully, "Oh Snow! Your awake, I'm so relieve" Cora said in a worried tone that Cass knew was fake, Snow then push both Cass and Emma behind her and then turned to Emma, "As bad as you think Regina is...this women is worse" Snow explained in a whisper, "She's right Emma" Cass added, "Oh Snow...please...believe me...whatever she told you, isn't true...and Cass, I took you in when you had nothing or no one else...I just want to help you" Cora said softly, "Lets hear her out" Emma said in a whisper, "Emma!" Cass and Snow said together, "Okay, right now we are at the bottom of a hole with no other options, and Henry is back in Storybrooke with Regina" Cass never took her eyes off Cora, she couldn't believe she was here, "Who's Henry?" Cora asked curiously, "My son I kinda...share with Regina...it's complicated" Emma explained, Cass looked at her and Snow spun around, "DON'T talk to her!" she said firmly. Just then there was a shout from above, "ENOUGH!" a rope was then dropped from the ceiling, "Our leader requests an audience!" they all looked up at the man above, Cass glanced once more at Cora and frowned with a mixture of both fear and hatred.

Once they had all climbed out of the pit - which to Cass seemed very pointless considering there was actually a door, they were escorted towards the center of the camp, "Why can't you just listen to me?" Snow was saying, "Why couldn't you have trusted me, I was just trying to find a way to get us home" Emma said stubbornly back "I could of handled her..." Emma added, Cass gave a little scoff, "Cora!" Snow said, "Don't be so sure. I've lived here Emma, so has Cass, we know this world and it's dangers" Cass nodded, "Wait here" the man who was escorting them said, he walked on himself and they all stood in a circle together, "Is that why you came through the portal? Because you thought I was helpless here" Emma said, "No...I came through to be with you" Snow explained, Cass smiled slightly and then noticed Snow looked passed Emma and she turned around to see a man dressed in armour coming out of the nearest hut, "Lancelot?" Snow said in surprise, "Snow?" he replied, they both ran to each other and hugged, Cass frowned curiously, "If I'd known your were the prisoners Mulan had brought back...I never would of locked you away" he explained, "Please...forgive me" he added "Of course" Snow said, "Lancelot?...really?..." Emma said, "He's an old friend! We can trust him" she explained. As they both got acquainted again Cass looked around the camp still feeling a little edgy, she didn't trust Cora being so close by even though she was in the pit, suddenly Lancelot spoke aloud, bring Cass out of her train of thought, "You must be hungry. Come we have food prepared" they then walked on over to a little table.

As they sat Snow turned to Cass, "I never really found out who you were Cass" she said, Cass glanced down slightly "I...don't really tell people that" she confessed "Besides you probably won't believe me" Emma smirked "There's not much I'll find hard to believe right now" she told them, "Well...my mother was called Belle, she died when I was small" Cass explained "And my father is...Rumplestiltskin..." Emma who had taken a drink at that moment spluttered, "As in Mr Gold?" she said, Cass nodded slightly, just then there was a plate of something placed down on the table, "What the hell is that?" Emma asked, "That is Chimera" came Lancelot's voice from behind them, "An acquired taste, but all our hunting party could bring back. One part lion, one part serpent, one part goat" Emma picked up a piece of the meat, "Like turducken?" she said, "I don't understand. We were told this land didn't even exist anymore. How did you all escape the curse?" Snow asked, "It is a mystery. The curse struck, and when the smoke cleared, most of us had been torn from this land. But some of us here, in this particular region, were left behind. We don't know how and we don't know why" Lancelot explained, "Finding the safe heaven wasn't easy. It took some spilt blood. But, worry not, your safe here" he told them, "We can't stay" Snow explained, "My husbands back there. Emma's son, my grandson. Cass' father. We have to get back to them. Can you help us find a portal?" Cass looked over at Lancelot, "Leaving is unwise. The Enchanted Forest is not as you remember. The ogres have returned" he stated, Cass' eyes went wide at this, "Ogres? Like, as in Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum?" Emma said, "Those would be giants" Cass told her, "Ogres are far worse" Lancelot explained "That's why we live here, on this island, where it's safe. Please, Snow, stay here. There are no more portals left" Cass glanced down slightly, "I might know of one" Snow said and they all looked at her, "You do?" Cass said, "Where?" Lancelot asked, "Cora's near. I don't feel comfortable voicing my plans. She's powerful" Snow said, "Not any more" Lancelot said "The curse stripped her of her powers. But given her reputation, we've kept her locked up as a precaution" Cass frowned slightly feeling puzzled for a moment, if the curse was now broken, why would Cora still be powerless, "Nevertheless. I'm not taking chances. Just trust me, I may have a way. Let us go" Snow said, Cass looked at Lancelot, she was unsure but she thought she could sense there was a certain reluctance in his face, "I'll allow it. But on one condition. Take my bravest warrior with you. Allow Mulan to defend you" he told them, "We can defend ourselves" Emma said "Deal!" Snow said and both Emma and Cass looked round at her, "Thank you, Lancelot. For always looking out for me" Lancelot nodded before he stood up and walked off into the camp, "Come!" Mulan said rather firmly, "You must arm yourselves" they then got up and followed her.

They went across the camp and stopped beside a large crate, Mulan opened it, "Choose wisely" she said revealing the weapons inside "We must be vigilant, if we are to survive the journey" Cass looked down into the crate, she picked up a bow and examined it for a moment before picking up a quiver of arrows, Snow picked up the same along with a sword. Cass also picked out a small dagger and clipped it to her belt, "Where's my gun?" Emma asked "I want it back" Mulan stared for a moment and then pulled the gun out of her belt, she examined it, "Is it magic?" she asked "Depends on who pointing the trigger" Emma said as she held out her hand, Mulan handed the gun over, "Follow my lead" Mulan ordered "Step as I step, do exactly as I say and you might survive" Cass rolled her eyes slightly, "Thanks for the pep talk, but we're okay, I just killed a dragon last week" Emma said, Cass looked round at her in amazement, "Have you ever seen an Ogre?" Mulan asked simply, "Pretty sure I've dated a few" Emma said bluntly, "Legends has it, that when they kill you, the last thing you see is the reflection of yourself dying in their eyes" Cass saw Snow roll her own eyes at this and she smirked as she put her quiver around her and then hung the bow over her shoulder, "Lets walk. It'll be dark soon" Mulan told them as she turned to leave; Cass, Snow and Emma all walked together behind, "Don't let her rattle you. I won't let anything happen to us. Stick to the plan" Snow explained, "What is the plan? You haven't told us anything, what's going on?" Emma asked, "Yeah a little detail wouldn't hurt" Cass admitted, "The wardrobe" Snow said simply, "Wardrobe...The wardrobe! Like the wardrobe that sent little baby me to Maine" Emma said, "Do you think it will get us back to Storybrooke?" Cass asked, "I dunno...first we have to see if it survived the curse, then worry about making it work" Snow admitted, "Where is it?" Cass said, "My place" Snow said and both Cass and Emma looked at her, "Want to see where you from Emma? That's right...we're going home" they continued to follow Mulan towards the forest, Cass then began to puzzle over something, "What I don't understand is...my father...he told me all about the Ogres and the war...he said he was the reason the war ended...that it was him who got rid of all the Ogres" she explained, "Well obviously when the curse hit the few that must of survived came back in the devastation" Snow said, Cass nodded slightly, she said nothing more on the subject and they spent the rest of the walk in silence.

After a while of walking they finally came to a big empty clearing, "This will do" Mulan announced, "We'll make camp here for the night. We just need to find water, collect some fire wood" she explained, "If we're hiding from Ogres...shouldn't we maybe...I dunno...not start a fire" Emma said, "Ogres are blind, they hunt by sound alone" Cass explained, "Right, because that's something everyone would know about Ogres" Emma said, "Look...I know your out of your element..." Snow said, "I'm fine!" Emma persisted, "I know...but...maybe you should just stay here while we get wood and water. Guard the campsite" Snow said, "You mean the big empty clearing?" Emma said doubtfully, "It's the safest place, we'll be right back. Cass you stay with Emma" Cass nodded slightly, both she and Emma watched as Snow and Mulan walked back into the trees, Cass then walked on over to Emma "Guess all this is kinda strange for you" she said, "Yeah...a little..." Emma confessed, "If it makes you feel any better, the only thing I know about Ogres is from what my father told me. I've never actually...faced one before, they were all gone by the time I was born" Cass explained, "Right..." Emma said, "I'm gonna go try hunt something for us to eat" Cass said, she then walked on off into the trees herself as she took her bow in her hand and an arrow from her quiver, she placed the arrow into the bow and began her hunt.

Later on Cass was making her way back to the campsite with a couple of rabbits slung over her arm, as she approached she spotted Snow kneeling on the ground, pinning someone down, Cass frowned and hurried on over just as Mulan reached them and pulled Snow up, Cass then spotted the other women - Aurora lying on the ground, "Don't talk to her like that!" Mulan said firmly, "She tried to kill me!" Snow said firmly back, "I will deal with her!" Mulan said as she picked up a dagger from the ground next to the Aurora, just then there was a loud gunshot from across the clearing and they all turned to see Emma. She was standing with her gun pointed in the air, she then brought it down to point at Mulan, "Emma...what are you doing..." Snow said worriedly, "Protecting you! Drop the weapon!" Emma said firmly, "Have you any idea what you have just done..." Cass said fearfully, suddenly there was a low growl from nearby and they all turned to face the noise, "Ogres?" Emma asked, "RUN!" Snow cried and they all sped off towards the trees, "Split up!" Snow cried and as Mulan and Aurora went one way, the three of them went the other. After a moment Snow called out, "Over there" and Cass sped up a little, she then saw Emma trip, Cass stopped and went back to her, "Emma!" she cried trying to help her up, just then there was the sound of loud footsteps behind them and they both turned to see a huge Ogre step out from behind the trees, Cass stared in fear as it came over to them and crouched down, Emma then picked up her gun but the Ogre manage grab it and crush the gun in its hand before throwing it away, Cass then tried to aim her arrow at it's eyes, but she was so scared it missed and flew straight passed the creatures head, the Ogre roared creating a blast of wind towards them both, suddenly there was a whistle from behind the creature and it turned around, Cass and Emma both looked over to see Snow standing there "Back away from my daughter!" she shouted, Snow then took out an arrow and placed it into her bow, she aimed as the Ogre advanced on her, she then shot the arrow hitting the creature right in the eye, it stumbled for a moment before falling to the ground, Snow then pulled the arrow out, "You have to shoot them in the eye" Snow explained, "yeah...I was trying to aim for there" Cass admitted, "When was the last time you shot an arrow?" Emma exclaimed, "28 years ago...guess it's like riding a bike" Snow said, "Yeah but...how did you know you could hit that?" Emma asked, "I didn't..." Snow admitted, Cass looked at her "Next time listen to me. That kind of thing isn't going to work here" Cass looked round at Emma and saw she was holding the squashed gun, yeah..." Emma said reluctantly "We should get going" Cass said after a moments silence, then she and Snow began to walk on and Emma followed behind as they went to find Mulan and Aurora.

After a while of walking Snow announced, "We're getting close" Cass looked around trying to find some part of the woods she recognized. It was strange she used to know this forest like the back of her hand, but now it all seemed different, like some distant, unknown land, "Aurora, you've got to keep up!" Mulan called to the back of the group, Cass looked back and saw the women lagging behind, "Sorry, but I'm not exactly dressed for the woods! It's cold out here" she exclaimed, "Then maybe you should of listened to me and stayed back" Mulan said simply, Cass then saw Emma fall back to walk with Aurora, "Here" she said offering her jacket, Cass kept on walking on after Snow and Mulan. They stopped at the edge of a cliff, "Up here!" Snow called, Emma and Aurora caught up to them, "Is that it?" Emma asked as they stared at the building in the distance, "Yeah...that's our home" Snow said, Cass stared at it, the curse had certainly done a fine job of destroying the once beautiful castle, which made her wonder what on earth her home looked like now, "The curse certainly did it's work..." Cass voiced her thoughts, "Come on!" Mulan said "We've still got a long walk ahead" and they proceeded on.

They finally arrived at the castle and went to the room Snow directed them too. As soon as they opened the door their eyes fell upon a devastating scene, the room was completely destroyed but Cass guessed from all the furniture that it had been some kind of nursery, "Oh my god..." Emma said, "I recognize this from Henry's book" she went straight over to the tree shaped wardrobe, "Come! We'll stay and watch the gate" Mulan said and she and Aurora left the room, Cass watched as Snow looked around at everything, she then picked up a teddy bear from the floor, "I never thought I'd see this place again" she said sadly, Emma and Cass both looked round at her "This room...it was your nursery, Emma" she explained "I lived here?" Emma asked, "You never even got to spend the night..." Snow said, "This is the life I wanted you to have...I was going to teach you how to walk in here. How to talk. How to dress for your first ball. You never got to do any of it...We never got to be a family..." Cass watched them sadly and then glanced down, realizing herself she had never had a mother who cared about her like this, "We have a family. In Storybrooke. And right now our aim is to get back there" Emma said rather bluntly, Cass frowned slightly she then looked at Snow again who she was sure was on the verge of tears, "So...how do we get this to work?" Emma said pointing to the wardrobe, Cass watched Snow for a moment more and then looked round at the wardrobe, she then went over and began to examine it, she opened the doors, "Where's the on switch?" Emma asked "It's more complicated than that" Cass said, "There's magical properties in this...just not enough to help us yet" she explained, "We'll have to get it back to the island" Snow said "A place where someone has access to enough magic, to make it work again" Snow told them, "How are we going to carry this thing?" Emma said doubtfully "With the help of an old friend" came a voice from the door, they all turned to see Lancelot, Cass frowned slightly as he approached "Lancelot?" Snow said "What are you doing here?" Cass looked from Snow then back at Lancelot "We heard about the Ogre attack and I had to make sure you were alright" he told them, "Where are Mulan and Aurora?" Cass asked curiously, "I sent them to find food" he explained, "Tonight we'll make camp and in the morning we'll head back" Lancelot said, Snow seemed pleased to see him but Cass still felt puzzled, "So...this is it? The wardrobe you were after" he said, examining the tree "The same one Emma went through" Snow told him, "It's how she skipped the curse" Cass bit her lip slightly unsure they should be saying all this, "Remarkable..." Lancelot said under his breath, "Geppeto carved it from an enchanted tree but...there's no magic left" Snow explained, "A portal this powerful, there must be another way to recharge it" Lancelot said, "Why are you so interest?" Cass asked suspiciously, "Well I just want you all to get home. Snow to her husband. You to your father, and Emma to her son. Henry...they must miss you" he said, Cass then frowned at this and she pulled Snow's sword from the sheath and pointed it at Lancelot, "Stay away from us!" she cried out, "Your not who you say you are!" Snow and Emma both stared at her, "What are you talking about? Who the hell is he?" Emma asked, Cass continued to stared at Lancelot, "There's only one person you told Henry's name!" she said firmly not taking her eyes off him and he stared firmly back, "Cora..." Emma said.

As soon as Emma said this, purple smoke spread around Lancelot and a few moments later Cora stood there, she smirked at Cass, "Clever girl Cassey, dear" she said smugly, "It's Cass!" she said firmly still pointing the sword at her, "Your father would be proud dear" Cora told her, "Where's Lancelot?" Snow cried out, "He's dead. I killed him a long time ago" Cora said simply, "And you've been posing as him ever since!" Cass exclaimed, "Well they'd never listen to me, and besides every kingdom needs a hero, don't you think?" Cora said, Cass frowned and made to charge at her but Cora was too quick, she brushed the sword away with a flick of her hand and forced Cass to the side, magically binding her legs together and her arms to her side, Cora then magically picked up Snow and pinned her against the wall, Emma ran to help but Cora just brushed her magically aside. Cora held Snow up against the wall, choking her with magic, she then walked towards her "Thank you, Snow" she said smugly "I've been looking for a way over for so long" Cass then saw Emma get up to rush over but Cora just held her hand up and made one of the fallen curtains wrap around Emma, she stumbled and fell to the ground, "I never thought the person to help me find it, would be you" Cora went on "Why...why are you doing this..." Snow said through a croaked voice, "I want to see my daughter. It's been to long" she then turned towards Cass, "And it would be lovely to see Rumplestiltskin, and tell him that he will never see his daughter again. I may even bring him back your heart as a keepsake" she said, Cass frowned at Cora who then turned back to Snow, "And you know, I would love to meet my grandson, Henry" Cora added, Cass then spied Emma beside the wardrobe and frowned wondering what she was doing, "No you wont'!" she cried and a moment later she lit a fire on the wardrobe, Cora turned sharply "NO!" she cried, she then mimicked the fire and created a fireball in her hand and aimed it at Emma, as Cora threw it Mulan came out of nowhere and reflected the fire off her sword and it vanished, "Mulan!" Aurora called as she appeared at the door, "We're not done" Cora said as she looked round at them all and then in a cloud of purple smoke, she vanished.

Instantly Cass felt the bonds on her release and Snow dropped to the ground, Emma hurried on over to Snow "You okay?" Emma asked, looking at Snow and then Cass, "You saved me" Snow said, "Yeah well...where is she?" Emma said, "Gone..." Cass said, she then looked over at the wardrobe, "So is our ride home..." she added sadly, "Lancelot was one of the most noble Knights I ever knew" Snow said, "How could I be so blind!" Mulan exclaimed "How could I not see that it was Cora!" they all looked round at her, "To be fair the whole shape shifting thing threw me too" Emma told her, "What are we going to tell the people on the island?" Mulan said, "The truth. That Lancelot was cut down by a terrible villain. He died an honorable death" Snow told her, "Cora's still out there! We need to find her. We need to defend what's left of the kingdom!" Mulan said, "Who's going to lead us? You?" Aurora asked, "No...her!" Mulan said and looked round at Snow, who was taken by surprise for a moment, "I'm honored. But Emma, Cass and I still have to find a way back to Storybrooke" she told them, "We'll help you, we'll find a way, won't we" Mulan said and then looked and Aurora who nodded, "Yes. Perhaps it will help me channel my anger" she said, Snow smiled at them both and they smiled back, Cass however still felt doubt; how on earth were they going to win against Cora, "Come!" Mulan said and Aurora followed her out, "I'm...sorry I torched our ride home" Emma said sadly, "I couldn't let her get to Henry" she added, "You had to put Henry first" Snow said, "It's understandable. Henry may not actually be my little brother, but I'll always see him as one and I will do anything to make sure he's safe" Cass told Emma, she smiled and nodded slightly and then looked back at Snow, Cass looked from Emma to Snow and knew they needed a moment alone, "I'll go wait with Mulan and Aurora" she said and then picked up her quiver and bow, she then headed on out of the room.

She met Mulan and Aurora outside at the door, "Their just coming" Cass told them as she put the quiver around her again and placed the bow onto her shoulder, "Wouldn't of thought the daughter of the dark one needing to be experienced with a bow" Mulan said, Cass glanced down slightly "I wasn't always but...I learned from a friend" she told them, talking about Snow, Mulan frowned but said nothing and a moment later Snow and Emma came on out, "Come on" Mulan said "We have a long journey back" and with that they all walked away from the castle and back the way they had come.


	15. Chapter 15

They were almost back at the camp after the long journey, Cass was walking at the back of the group with Aurora, "I don't know if I can do this, I'm not a very good liar" she was saying, "It's not really a lie Aurora" Cass said to her, "Lancelot did die an honorable death and Cora did escape, all true" Snow added, "Just...leave the particulars to us" Emma cut in "There's no reason to cause unnecessary panic among your people" "I'm not so sure tha..." Aurora began but she was cut off, "Wait!" Mulan ordered and held up her hand, "The tower, we always have people guarding the entrance" Cass looked over at the tower and then back at Mulan as she drew her sword, "Stay close" she whispered as she walked over slowly, Cass looked round at Emma and Snow and then took off her bow and readied it with an arrow.

They crept slowly over towards the camp, Cass stopped dead when she saw the scene in front of her, "Oh my god..." Emma said, every single person in the camp lay dead on the ground, Cass felt herself almost burst into tears, she went closer to get a better look, "This can't be...our land we were protected here, hidden, how did the Ogres find us?" Mulan was saying, Cass then examined one of the bodies, "Ogres didn't do this...Cora did..." she said "What?" Mulan said, "There hearts, they were ripped out, this is her magic" Cass added, "We have to stop her!" Snow cried, "To late...she killed them, she killed them all!" Mulan said, "We have to stop her before he hurts anyone else!" Snow exclaimed, "Hey, hey! Look!" Emma cried and they all rushed over to her, Cass gasped as she saw movement underneath a pile of the bodies, "There's someone under there!" Aurora cried, they all bent down to help "He's alive!" Aurora exclaimed, "Please..." a voice said underneath the pile, "It's okay!" Cass cried as she helped move the bodies, "Please help me..." the man said as they turned him over, "It's okay...your safe now, we won't hurt you" Snow said gently, "Thank you..." the man said gratefully, Cass stared at him feeling puzzled, 'why on earth would Cora leave a survivor?' There was also a tiny spark at the back of Cass' brain, as she stared at the man she felt like she knew him but couldn't quite remember how.

Emma and Mulan went to go fetch some water for the man while Cass, Snow and Aurora helped him up and over to a seat, Cass was still trying to work out why the man seemed so familiar, she then went to talk to Snow in private, "Why would Cora leave a survivor? It's unlike her to do such a thing" she whispered to her, "Well...now is our chance to find out" Snow replied, as they walked back over to where the man was, Emma handed him a cup of water, "Here you go" she said, "I can't thank you enough for your kindness" he said "Fortune it seems, seemed fit to show me favor" Cass listened closely, "An island full of corpses, your the only one to escape. How exactly did that happen?" Emma questioned, "She attacked at night...slaughtered everyone in one first swoop...when she started ripping out peoples hearts I hid under the bodies of those already been killed...pretended to be dead myself..." he explained, "So much for fortune favoring the brave" Emma said, "It was all I could do to survive..." the man added, "I'm going to let you in on a little secret...I'm pretty good at knowing when someone is lying to me" Emma whispered to him, "I'm telling you the truth..." the man insisted, "We should leave here! Encase Cora decides to come back" Cass said, "We should start searching for a new portal back to Storybrooke" Snow said simply, "I only got about five minutes with my husband, not to mention my grandson" "You have a grandson?" the man said, "Long story..." Snow added, "Well I never even got to see my father" Cass added, "Well I know this land well, I can guide you..." the man said but then Emma quickly drew out her knife, she pulled the man's head back, she held the knife at his throat, "Your not going to guide us anywhere, until you tell us who you really are!" she said firmly, Cass stared at Emma in shock and looked from her to the man, "Tie him up!" Emma said firmly, everyone looked at one another for a moment and then Mulan went to get some rope and Emma forced the man to his feet and over towards a tall tree, "Against there!" she ordered firmly and then Mulan started tying him to the tree.

She finished by tighten the rope so he wouldn't get free, "I already told you, I'm only just a blacksmith..." the man said fearfully, "Sure you are" Emma said and then turned her head and whistled, at once there was a growl in the distance, "Emma..." Cass said worriedly, "You won't talk to us!" Emma said as she turned back to the man, "Maybe you'll talk to the Ogres when they rip you limp from limp!" there was a loud thud in the distance as the Ogres got closer, "Come on!" Emma said as she backed away from the tree, "You can't just leave me here like this!" the man said firmly and fearfully, "What if he's telling the truth?" Aurora said, "He's not!" Emma said firmly, "Good for you!" the man said smugly, "You bested me. I could count amount of people who have done that on one hand!" he added, "That supposed to be funny..." Cass said, noticing he only had the one hand, they all walked back to the tree, "Who are you?" Emma asked firmly, "Killian Jones. But most people have taken to calling me by my more colorful Monika...Hook" he answered, "Hook..." Snow echoed, "Check my satchel" he said bluntly, Cass who had the satchel rummaged through it, "As in Captain Hook?" Emma said, "Ah, so you've heard of me" Hook smirked, Cass then withdrew a silver hook from the satchel and then it all came flooding back to her, "You! You were in Wonderland! You were looking for the palace. For Cora! He's working with her!" Cass blurted out, there was another loud roar and thud from behind them, "You better hurry up, their getting closer...so unless you want to be dinner you better start talking" Emma whispered "Cora wanted me to gain your trust, so I could learn everything there is to know about your Storybrooke" he began "She didn't want any surprises when she finally got over there" Cass frowned "She can't get there we destroyed the wardrobe!" she stated, "Ah, but the enchantment remains. Cora gathered the ashes and is going to use them to open up a portal" Hook told them, there was another loud thump, "Now, if you kindly cut me loose!" Hook said firmly, "NO! We should leave him here, to die for all the lives that he took!" Mulan said firmly, "That was Cora not me!" Hook retorted back "Lets go" Emma said and they all turned to leave, "Wait...WAIT! You need me alive!" Hook exclaimed, "Why?" Emma asked bluntly, "Because we both want the same thing. To get back to your land" Hook said, "You'll say anything to safe yourself, why are we supposed to believe you now!" Emma said as she walked back towards Hook, "I arranged for transport with Cora, but seeing how resourceful you are I'll offer you the same deal. I'll help you, if you'll promise to take me along" Hook bargained, "How are you going to help us get home?" Snow said firmly, "The ashes will open a portal, but to find your land she needs more. There's an enchanted compass, Cora seeks it. I'll help you obtain it before she does" Hook told them, "So Cora won't make it to Storybrooke and we'll be one step closer to getting home" Emma said, she then looked back at Snow and Cass, "Sounds to good to be true..." Snow said, Cass nodded "She's right...and I dunno if I trust him" Cass added, "There's only one way to find out!" Hook said, there was another growl, louder this time "Their getting closer!" Cass said worriedly "You tell me one thing! And what ever you say I better believe it! Why does Captain Hook wanna go to Storybrooke!" Emma asked firmly, "To take revenge on the man who took my hand! Rumplestiltskin!" Hook said, Cass looked round at him and stared wide eyed with shock, Emma did nothing for a moment and then she lift the knife and cut Hooks bonds, "Come on!" she cried and they all ran towards the trees, Cass took up the rear but still ran just as fast, her brain going over what Hook had just said, he wanted to kill her father.

Once they were far enough away from the Ogres they slowed down to a walk and Snow came to walk with Cass, "You okay?" she asked, Cass said nothing for a moment "He...he wants revenge on my father...why should we help him?" she asked, "Well to be fair, I'm sure there are a lot of people your father has crossed, but don't worry we'll figure something out Cass" Snow told her, Cass nodded though she was still nervous, Cass walked on a little further so she was up in front, she ended up right behind Hook, he turned "So! You were my tour guide in Wonderland?" he said, Cass glanced up at him "Yeah..." she said bluntly, "You could of given better directions" he said, "You asked the way to go and I gave you the quickest route" Cass told him, Hook then looked forwards again, "Up ahead!" he called to the group, "We'll find the compass just over the ridge" they made it to the top of a slope and were looking out towards a giant beanstalk, "Let me guess, the compass is up there..." Cass said "Oh yeah" Hook replied, "So how do we get to it..." Emma asked, "It's not the climb you have to worry about, it's the giant at the top" Hook told her, Cass looked round "Giant?" she said puzzled, she had thought all the giants were dead, but she didn't voice this out loud and they carried on walking.

Finally they arrived at the beanstalk and stopped at the base of it, "It's a little freakier than I remember from the story..." Emma said as they all stared up "Reminds me of death..." Mulan said, "Encouraging..." Snow remarked "Well the compass awaits, shall we" Hook said "Wait if these...beans create...portals, why not just pick one and go home, why the compass?" Emma asked, "Because there aren't anymore beans" Cass replied "Whatever story you think you know my dear, is most certainly wrong" Hook added, "There was a guy named Jack, and a cow and something about...evil giant with the treasure and a golden goose. Or harp..." Emma explained, "Sounds like a lovely tale" Hook said almost sarcastically, "But the truths a little more gruesome" he added, Cass thought back to the tales her father had told her about the giants, "The giants grew the beans but rather than use them for good they used them to plunder all the lands" Cass told them, "Well aren't we all full of trivia" Hook said, "My father told me" she said bluntly back "And Jack, his men thought a terrible war, defeating the giants" Cass went on, "All but one" Hook added "Seems your father's a bit vague on the details. The beans were destroyed by the giants as they died" Hook said, taking over the story "They couldn't have the magic, nobody could" Cass frowned slightly and then looked over at Emma as she spoke, "Evil giants...who made magic portal beans...why doesn't anyone just go up and grow some more?" Emma said, "Because one giant survived. The strongest and most terrible of them all. Now we'll have to get passed him to..." Hook said, "The magic compass" Cass finished, "Indeed. The treasure remains and among it is the compass. Now it will guide us to your land, Cora has the means to open a portal with the wardrobe ashes, but she can't find your land without the compass. Once we get it, steal the ashes from her, we're on our way" Hook explained, Cass frowned slightly knowing it couldn't be as easy as he was making out to be, "How do we know your not just using us to get the compass for Cora?" Mulan asked, "Because you lot are far safer company. All I need is a ride back, I swear allegiance to whoever gets me there first" Hook told them, "Than we better start climbing" Emma stated, "Right so, I failed to mention that the giant enchanted the beanstalk to repeal intruders" Hook said, "Alright, so how do we get up then" Cass asked, "Well I've got a counter spell from Cora, if you'd be so kind" he said indicating his tied hands, Cass frowned, Snow then walked over to Hook and began untying his bonds, "Thank you, my lady" he said in a whisper and gave her a wink, he then cast aside the old rags he had on and Cass saw he was wearing the same clothes he was wearing when she last saw him in Wonderland, he then lifted his hand revealing a black, leather bracelet on his wrist, "Got one more of these" he stated "Cora was to accompany me, so...which one of you lovelies will take her place" nobody said anything and just looked at one another, "Come on, fight it out. Don't be afraid to you know, really get into" Hook said almost child like.

They all moved away from Hook to talk privately among each other, "I'll go" Cass spoke up "I've faced thousands of dangerous things" she said, Snow however rejected this immediately, "Absolutely not! If anything were to happen to you, your father would most certainly kill us" she said firmly, "I'll go" Snow put in, "All do respect I'm the best to go, how many wars have you been through?" Mulan said firmly "My share!" Snow retorted back, "It should be me!" Aurora exclaimed, "You haven't fought in battle!" Mulan said, "This is about US getting home to OUR loved ones, why would you..." Snow began "I have no loved ones...if I fail you can still go on!" Aurora said, "It's me! I'm going and I'm not gonna fail!" Emma said in a final tone, "Your new here" Snow said softly, "It's about getting back to Henry, I don't care what I have to face. Your not gonna argue with me?" Emma said, "Would it do any good?" Snow asked, "No..." Emma replied and Snow nodded reluctantly, "Anything in that bag that's going to help me with a giant?" Emma asked Mulan, "Or Hook?" Mulan added, "Hey..." Hook said from a distance, "Come with me" Mulan said and they both walked away to talk alone.

Cass went over to Snow, "She'll be okay...Emma's tough" she said quietly to her, "I know...it's just...she's new here...she doesn't know..." Snow said and then broke off, "I'm sure she'll be fine" Cass told her, "Ladies!" Hook called to them, "In this world we are slaves to time and ours it running out, in other words tick tock" he told them, Emma then walked over to Hook, "I was hoping it'd be you" Hook said as Emma held out her wrist, "Just get on with it" Emma said simply, "Put your hand right here, that's a good girl" Hook said as he placed Emma's hand on his shoulder and he put the bracelet around her wrist, "This will allow you to climb, there are other dangers" Hook explained, Cass glanced over at Snow and then took her hand and smiled encouragingly to her, "Thankfully you've got me to protect you" Hook added, he then indicated his stump hand, "I can't climb one handed, can I?" Hook said, Emma then reluctantly took the hook out of her bag and handed it to him, "Don't think I'm taking my eyes off you for a second!" she said firmly, "I would...despair if you did" Hook replied, "Lets go!" Emma said and then turned towards the beanstalk, she looked up at it and then back at Snow and Cass, Snow nodded and Cass gave an encouraging smile, Emma and Hook then began to climb.

They watched as Emma and Hook climbed, once they were hidden from view Cass turned away and went to sit down on a large stone, she sighed, feeling anxious now, Mulan started drawing a large 'T' in the ground and then stuck a stick on the point, "What is this?" Aurora asked, "Keeps the time" Mulan replied simply, "You have somewhere to be?" Snow asked bluntly, "We can mark watches. Take turns sleeping. We'll most likely have to walk through the night again, so we should rest while we can" Mulan told them, "I'll take first shift" Snow said, "I'll stay up with you" Aurora said "Okay" Mulan said and then walked off, Cass then went on over to Snow and Aurora, "When's the last time you slept?" Snow asked, "I don't really sleep now...not after what I've been through..." Aurora answered, "Sleeping curse?" Cass asked, "The time I did sleep, I had horrible nightmares" Aurora told them, "It's a side effect" Snow explained "Same thing happened to me" "It did?" Aurora asked, "I had them for months. Charming...my husband...he used to wake me when I cried out, he'd light a candle, he said it would capture the nightmares, he'd watch over me as I fell back to sleep" Cass smiled at this, "Sounds like he lives up to his name" Aurora said, "Yeah" Snow said brightly, "Why don't you try...to sleep, I'll watch over you" Snow said changing the subject, "You'll be safe" "Thank you..." Aurora whispered and then wondered off, "You should sleep too Cass" Snow said to her, Cass shook her head, "I'll keep watch with you" she said, "No, its fine, go ahead you look tired" Snow insisted, "Don't want to bring you back to your father looking like the undead" Cass smiled slightly, "Okay" she said and then walked away also and lay down beside Aurora, she then slowly felt herself drift off to sleep.

A little while later Cass woke up to fearful cries beside her, she opened her eyes to see Aurora whimpering and shuffling about, "Snow?" she called over and she came rushing over instantly, "Hey..." Snow said softly as she knelt beside Aurora who woke with a start "Aurora...it was just a dream...it was just a dream..." Snow told her, reassuringly, "It was horrible..." Aurora said fearfully, "Why don't you tell me? Do you want to tell me about it?" Snow suggested, "Come, lets stand" she then helped Aurora to her feet, "It was the same as last time..." Aurora began to explain, Cass listened also, "I was in this room...this red room and...there was bright...blood red curtains...there was no windows or doors so it didn't make sense...I couldn't get in or out I was trapped! The curtains they were on fire! It was horrible..." Snow then walked on over to her, "It's okay..." she said softly, "I was hunched in the corner...I looked over to the other corner...in the shadows there was someone else there...I just see it's eyes, it was looking right at me..." Aurora added, Cass stared in fear as she listened to this, she remembered reading something in her library back home about sleeping curses, about what happens when a victim is woken from the spell, she knew this place Aurora was speaking off was real but she was not about to scare her anymore by telling her this, "It's okay..." Snow was saying still trying to comfort Aurora, "It's over now. These nightmares, they will fade away, I promise" she told her, "Did they for you?" Aurora asked, "Yeah" Snow said, but Cass could tell she was lying "Come on" she said as she went to sit back down on the log both Cass and Aurora had been lying on, "Come on, I'll sit with you until you fall back asleep" Snow said, Aurora then walked on over and sat down on the ground again, she then lay her head on Snow's lap and Snow placed her hand on Aurora's head gently, "I'll stay up and keep watch" Cass said, Snow nodded and then Cass went over to join Mulan.

As she reached her, she saw Mulan was staring transfixed at the symbol on the ground, Cass frowned slightly wondering what she was doing, Mulan then turned swiftly and marched over towards the beanstalk, drawing her sword as she went, "Whoa wait! What are you doing?" Snow cried as she got up and rushed over, Cass came to her side "Just stay back! Emma gave me ten hours!" Mulan cried out, "NO!" Snow exclaimed, "What your just going to leave her to die?" Aurora cried out as she joined them, "Ten hours, she may already be dead" Mulan said simply, she then turned and began hacking at the beanstalk with her sword, "NO! STOP!" Cass cried, "NOOOO!" Snow shouted as she ran at Mulan and tackled her to the ground, "STOP!" Aurora and Cass exclaimed together, as they both watched Mulan and Snow fight on the ground, "It was your daughters wish!" Mulan said firmly she had Snow pinned to the ground, Snow then threw Mulan off and pinned her down, "I don't care what you say! You do not put my daughter in danger!" Snow cried angrily, "STOP!" came Emma's voice and they all turned to see her fall down off the beanstalk, "Emma?" Snow cried out in relief as she got up and rushed over to help her up, "You okay?" Cass asked, relief in her voice "Two earthquakes and a jump from a beanstalk, I think my brains still rattling around a little" Emma said as she stood up with Snow's help, "I did what you ordered" Mulan said firmly "Nothing more than that. Did you get it?" she asked, "Yip" Emma said and she showed them the compass, "Where's Hook?" Cass asked curiously, "He's detained. Lets go, get your stuff, we've got ten hours until he follows us" Emma told them, "What? How?" Snow asked, "I've got a friend looking after him until then..." Emma replied, "You told her to cut it down!" Snow said firmly, "Yes...I..." Emma began, "We go back together!" Snow said firmly, "You, me and Cass. That is the only way! Do you understand?" Emma sighed sadly and then hugged Snow gently, "Yeah..." she said sadly, "Good..." Snow replied, "Now...lets go get that dust from Cora" Snow said "And go home..." Emma added, they then withdrew from the hug and Snow reached over to Cass and rubbed her arm gently, "Come on, lets get moving" she said and they headed onward.

 _Henry lay asleep in bed, seemingly very peaceful when suddenly he awoke with a start and yelled out, "HENRY!" David cried as he came running over to Henry's room, "Henry?...Hey it's okay..." he said as he sat down beside him "It's okay..." David kept saying trying to calm him, "I just had the worst nightmare!" Henry said fearfully, "It's over now...okay?" David said softly, he then reached over and picked up a box of matches, "Here...this will help" he said as he struck a match a lit a candle, "A candle?" Henry said, puzzled "Yeah...keep the nightmares away" David explained "Now. Talk to me, what was so bad?" David asked gently, "I...I was in this room...and...and it was red! And there was no doors, no windows. And these curtains...they were on fire...I...I was in this corner...and...I was looking out...and there was someone else there...she was staring at me through the flames...then I woke up and..." Henry told him, "Don't worry alright, it was just a bad dream" David said softly to him, trying to make it all okay._


	16. Chapter 16

Cass POV: Normal

 _Henry/Regina POV: Italics_

 _Henry awoke with a start to find Regina sitting on the side of the bed, "It's okay...it's okay...your okay..." Regina said softly to him, "What...what are you doing here...where's David?..." Henry asked shakily, "He got an emergency call this morning and he asked me to look after you" Regina said gently, "He told me you've been having nightmares" Henry said nothing and just kept breathing heavily, "It's okay you can..." she went to touch his arm and he cried out in pain, Regina then examined his hand closely and saw it was blistered, "Is that a burn?" Regina said, inspecting it, Regina stared worriedly for a moment and then got up, "I'm going to call for help" she said and then left the room to make a phone call._

 _A little while later Mr Gold turned up at the apartment, Henry came out of the bedroom and sat up on one of the kitchen stools, "I'm concerned about this" Regina said simply, Henry then showed the burn on his arm and explained what had happened, "Ah yes, you were quite right to call me" Mr Gold told them, "So...you can help? It was just a dream..." Henry asked, "Well, what your describing is certainly not a dream" Mr Gold told him "Then what was it?" Regina asked, "A side effect. You know it's remarkable you'd cast a curse you know so little about" Mr Gold said to her, "My victims are not supposed to wake up! So a certain never cared to what happened to them after. Until now" Regina replied, "When people fall under a sleeping curse, the soul travels to a netherworld, where it resides until awoken. Now this world is between life and death, and it's very real" Mr Gold explained as he began to mix up some kind of magic, "However, even when the curse it broken, sometimes in sleep the victims find their way back to that world, victims like you" he finished and turned to Henry who walked over to see what Mr Gold was doing, "This other world is tormenting my son every time he sleeps, I want you to give him something that will keep him from going there" Regina said as she walked up behind Henry, "Well I'm afraid that's not possible, I can however provide you with something that will allow him to control his actions whist in that world" Mr Gold told her, "And once one controls something, one no longer need fear it" he held up something to Henry, "A necklace?" Henry said and looked up at Mr Gold, "You wear this while your sleeping, once you control the journey fear will stop, and then you can come and go as you please" he explained, Henry went to take the necklace but Regina stopped him, "Everything comes at a price with you. What do you want for this?" she said simply, "For a house call? You couldn't afford it" Mr Gold said simply and then he softened his voice again, "But this is for Henry, this ones on me" he said and held out the necklace again which Henry took, "Why?" he asked curiously, "Cass was always protective towards you, I feel I should honor that" he told him, "Cass?...that was Hazel...she's...your daughter?" Henry questioned, "Yes...she is" Mr Gold replied, Henry then looked down at the necklace again and examined it._

They had been walking all day and finally stopped to rest, Mulan was setting up camp for them and Cass sat down on the ground next to Aurora who was fast asleep, she was half watching over her encase she had anymore of those 'dreams' again, she then spied Emma and Snow rushing on passed her, "What's going on?" she asked, "Mulan has some ideas where Cora might be hiding" Emma explained and they carried on walking behind the sheet that had been set up, Cass watched them go and then looked back round at Aurora who was still asleep. After a a bit she noticed her twitching, she then gave small cries, "Aurora?...Aurora?..." Cass said worriedly, "Snow, get over here" she cried and they all came rushing over, "What?" Emma asked, "I think she's having those dreams again..." Cass told them, suddenly Aurora woke with a start, "Snow! Snow!" she cried, "Hey...I'm here..." Snow said softly to her "It's okay...it's just another nightmare..." she added "No...this time was different...there was a little boy...he put out the fire, he talked to me..." Aurora explained, "What boy?" Cass asked, "What did he say?" Emma asked, "He said...he said his name was Henry..." Aurora said and Cass, Snow and Emma all looked at each other with the same shocked expression, "What?..." Cass said in bewilderment.

Emma then reached into her pocket and pulled out at picture of Henry, "The boy you saw in your dream, is that him?" Emma asked anxiously, "Yes. That's Henry..." Aurora said as she looked at the photo, Snow got up and walked away a little, Cass looked puzzled, "That's impossible...it was a dream! How could you dream of my son?" Emma said, "I have no idea..." Aurora told her, "Maybe it wasn't a dream..." Snow began "What?" Emma said and they all faced Snow, "That room...I've been there..." Snow explained, "When I told you about it you didn't say anything!" Aurora said firmly, "You were terrified, I didn't want to make things worse by telling you it might be real..." Snow replied, "A room in a dream is real?" Mulan asked, "The sleeping curse..." Cass said "It has to be" Snow said, "I went through it. Aurora went through it..." "Henry's been through it because I wouldn't believe him..." Emma said sadly, "Emma..." Snow said "What else did you lie about?" Aurora asked firmly, "I was...I wasn't lying! I was protecting you!" Snow replied, "What did he say? Henry?" Cass asked Aurora "He just said his name...and then I woke up and it was over" she said, "It's going to be okay" Snow said, "We are so far from okay!" Emma said firmly "No...Snow's right" Cass said "We have a way home now" "We have a compass! And the wardrobe ashes are still with Cora!" Emma said firmly, "Any attempt to steal from her would be suicide!" Mulan told them, "Not anymore" Snow said smugly "We can stop her" "How?" Mulan said doubtfully, "I don't know...but I know someone who does..." Snow said and then it dawned upon Cass, "My father..." she said, "Yes. Rumplestiltskin" Snow said, "He'll know a way, I know he will" Cass said, there was silence for a moment and then it hit Emma, "Henry?...we could talk to him...now we can communicate" Emma said, "Wait! Wait!" Aurora said fearfully, "Hurry up princess, your going back to sleep" Emma said as she turned to Aurora.

 _Henry woke with a start and then sat bolt up right, "Their...their alive!" he exclaimed, "Their alive!" David and Regina were both fast asleep by the bed but woke instantly when they heard Henry's voice, "Who? Who's alive?" David asked, "My mum, Snow and Cass!" Henry explained, "I told you kid, I told you!" David said excitedly, "Was it that women you saw? Did she tell you this?" Regina asked, "Her names Aurora, she says they have a way home but there's someone in their way" Henry told them, "Someone they need us to help them stop. Someone only Mr Gold knows how to defeat" "Who?" Regina asked curiously, "Your mother..." Henry said as he looked round at Regina who stared back in utter shock. After a moment Regina stood up, "I'm going to find Gold!" she said simply and then marched out of the apartment._

 _Regina walked down main street, she stopped at Mr Gold's shop and found it empty, she then went to his home but it was also empty, finally she came to Granny's, she spotted him sitting at one of the booths with Belle, "Gold! We need to talk!" she said simply as she strolled over to the booth, "Do we?" he said annoyed, "Folks! I think I may need to close early, everybody out!" Granny announced, "No, its okay, we're civil" Regina explained, "Yeah for now. Belle you remember the women who locked you up for 28 years" Mr Gold said simply, "I should probably just..." Belle began as she made to get up, "No, please stay where you are, whatever she has to say won't be secret from you. What ever she wants, she won't get" he said simply, "I'm actually coming about the one thing that might unite us" Regina said, "And what on earth could that be?" Mr Gold asked, "Cora..." Regina said in a whisper, "She's coming from our land, I need your help to stop her" Regina explained, "But she was dead. You told me you saw the body" Mr Gold said firmly, "Well apparently you taught her well" Regina said briskly, "She's not, and she's on her way and I don't think I need to remind you how most unpleasant that would be for both of us" Regina explained, "Yeah for you. I can handle Cora" Mr Gold said simply, "That's not how she tells the story..." Regina said, "I won in the end" Mr Gold replied firmly, "Maybe...but there's a big difference this time. This time you have someone you care about" Regina said as she looked towards Belle "This time you have a weakness. In fact you have two" she added, Mr Gold tensed up slightly, "And I'll let you know, one is over there within her reach right now..." Regina went on, Mr Gold then turned his head sharply towards Regina, "Cass?..." he said firmly, "Why didn't you tell me?" his voice grew even fiercer with every word, "Never seemed like the right time" Regina said, "Wait!" Belle said quickly "Cass...as in...my daughter...she's alive?..." they both looked round at her, "You didn't know?" Mr Gold asked, "No...I...I was told she died..." Mr Gold then looked back at Regina, "Who is this women?" Belle asked, "Someone you'll never meet" Mr Gold said simply, "So you say she's coming? Where is she now?" he asked, "With them" Regina said simply._

They walked on through the woods, trying to find a safe place to set up camp and for Aurora to make contact with Henry again, "How close are we? Henry could already be waiting in that...netherworld" Emma stated, "No, we planned to meet back there in two hours" Aurora told her, "Your not going to leave him waiting" Snow said, "Yeah but what if..." Emma began, "He was fine" Aurora assured her, "There! Up ahead!" Cass called out, she was a little ahead of them but could still hear what they were saying, "That looks like relatively safe high ground" Snow said, "We can set up camp there" Cass told them, "Aurora, you'll settle in and find Henry, get the information we need from Rumplestiltskin" Snow explained, Cass then ran on a little further towards the space, "We do this fast, in and out, it's still dangerous out there" Snow called out so that Cass could hear also, Snow and Emma reached Cass, "Do you think it will work?" Cass asked curiously, "What if they can't convince my father to help, I know what he's like" Snow looked round at Cass, "I'm sure your father knows just how powerful Cora is, he won't allow her to come through and if he knows your over here that should make him want to help even more" Snow explained, Cass nodded slightly and said nothing more.

 _Henry lay on the soft bed through the back of Mr Gold's shop, Regina came in holding a blanket over her arm, "I brought your blanket from your bedroom back home" she said as she tucked it round Henry, "Thanks..." Henry said as Mr Gold and David came on to the bed, "So Cora...she's pretty powerful?" Henry asked, "Yes, but not as powerful as I am" Mr Gold stated, "Debatable" Regina said, "Actually! No it's not!" Mr Gold said simply, David sighed and walked over to Henry, he sat on the edge of the bed, "You sure your okay to do this kid?" he asked anxiously, "I was born to do this, I'm done reading about heroes, I wanna be one" Henry told him, "Well sometimes being one is knowing when not to run into the fire" David explained, "I'll be okay" Henry said, "Look, whatever he faces in there will be far less dangerous then what we face if we fail" Mr Gold stated, "I can do this!" Henry insisted, David gave another sigh but he nodded and stood up walking away from the bed, "Get on with it! Fast!" he told Mr Gold who then walked over to the bed and sat down in a seat, "Alright Henry, just relax and soon your going to drift off" Mr Gold told him "What do I tell them?" Henry asked, "Just listen to my bedtime story and all will be clear" Mr Gold said, "Do you want me to give Cass a message?" he asked curiously, there was silence for a moment, "Tell her...tell her I'm doing everything I can to bring her home" he said, Henry nodded, then Mr Gold lifted his hand and placed it gently onto Henry's head, Henry then felt his eyes begin to close and Mr Gold spoke again, "Once Upon a Time, Snow White and Prince Charming, needed to stun a very powerful magician long enough to lock him up in a dark dungeon" he said, "That was you, they used Cinderella to trap you with the magic quill" Henry said, his eyes open, Mr Gold then ran his hand slowly across Henry's face and he closed his eyes again, "Yes indeed, the quill, and yet it wasn't the quill itself but the ink that captured the dark one. Harvested from the rarest species of squid, from the bottom of a bottomless ocean. Impossible to find, unless your a mermaid, or me. I happen to have a private supply. In my jail cell" Mr Gold finished by running his hand over Henry one last time "That is where they will find it" he said_

They watched as Aurora sank back into her deep slumber, Cass then turned and walked off a little keeping watch encase of a surprise attack, suddenly she thought she heard a twig snap in the distance and they all turned their head towards the noise, "What was that?" Emma whispered, Cass readied her bow and looked all around through the trees, Cass walked off a little further, "Cass! Not to far!" Snow called to her, Cass was only half listening, she frowned as she stared off into the trees. Then out of nowhere something lunged at her, Cass screamed and shot her arrow towards the figure and it hit them in the neck, Cass then ran back towards the campsite, "There's something out there!" she cried, "Not just one thing..." Emma said, Cass looked all around now, to see more figures coming towards them. They were almost like zombies, "Wake Aurora up!" Cass cried and Mulan bent over Aurora and began shaking her, "AURORA! WAKE UP! WAKE UP!" Mulan said forcefully and then pulled Aurora to her feet, "Henry wasn't finished" she exclaimed, Cass was only half paying attention for more figures had suddenly appeared, she took another arrow from her quiver and aimed it at the nearest one, it shot him in the shoulder, Cass then fired arrow after arrow, trying to make them fall, "EMMA, WATCH OUT!" Cass cried as she saw one of them come up behind her, Emma turned but was to late and was knocked off her feet, the compass fell from her pocket and rolled across the ground, Cass was about to make a grab for it, but another figure ran at her, "Cass, catch!" Snow cried and tossed a sword to her, Cass caught it and began dueling, "The compass!" Emma cried, Cass got her opponent to the ground and looked over to see one of them holding the compass, Snow then shot an arrow and it hit him in the arm and he dropped it, Emma then snatched up the compass, "Any idea how to kill these things?" Emma cried, "None!" Snow exclaimed, "Mulan!" Snow called out but there was no answer, Cass looked round and saw no sign of her or Aurora, "Mulan?..." Snow called again, "Where is she?" Cass cried, "Emma! Cass! We gotta run, hurry!" Snow called to them, Cass then struck out once more and then all three of them sped off into the trees, away from the fight, Cass looked back and saw them begin to follow, they ran faster through the trees trying to get them off their trail. Eventually they managed to shake them off and they all stopped to catch their breath "You two still in one piece?" Emma asked, "Yeah, pretty much" Snow said, Cass nodded, there was then a rustling sound from the bushes, Snow and Cass both readied their bows and were about to shot when Mulan came running out, "They took her...Aurora's gone..." Mulan cried fearfully and they all stood frozen in shock and fear.

 _Henry woke with a start and gasped, "Henry?" David said worriedly as he and Regina came rushing over to him, "Are you alright?" he asked, "Did you see her? Did you tell her?" Mr Gold asked, "No...I didn't get the chance..." Henry said, "Something...something happened...she...she got sucked out of there..." he explained, he then groaned in pain as he held his arm, "Henry?..." Regina said, "Somethings wrong..." Henry said, Regina then pushed back his sleeve to reveal and massive burn up his arm, David and Regina both stared worriedly, "Henry..." Regina said softly_.

They began to walk on, puzzling over what on earth they were going to do now and how they would get Aurora back. Cass was taking up the rear, she then gasped as something landed on her shoulder, she turned her head to see a black bird, it squawked and Mulan turned sharply, sword out, "Wait..." Cass said as she averted her attention to the bird for a moment, it squawked away and then took off again, "What the hell was that?" Emma asked, confused "Cora...we have until sundown to bring her the compass, if we don't...she'll kill Aurora..." Cass told them, "You speak bird?" Emma asked, "Long story..." Cass said, "Give it to me!" Mulan said firmly to Emma who had the compass in her hand, "Hold on Mulan! Just give us a minute to consider!" she told her, "There nothing to consider! A compass is not worth Aurora's life!" Mulan demanded, "We need a plan! To get back Aurora and keep the compass" Snow told her, "My vow to Philip was to protect Aurora! That promise is all that is left of him, so it shall be done!" Mulan said firmly and made to snatch the compass, "Hey!" Emma cried as she kept hold of the compass to stop Mulan taking it, "I climbed a beanstalk for this! You go get you own!" Emma cried, "Give it to me!" Mulan ordered, "STOP!" Cass cried and then Snow moved between them and pushed them apart, "Mulan! Give us a few hours please...if we haven't defeated Cora by then you can have the compass!" Snow told her, "You can't hope to defeat her! We no longer have access to the dark ones assistance!" Mulan said firmly, Cass then thought for a moment, "We do..." she said slowly, "How? Aurora's gone!" Mulan said, "Aurora isn't the only one who's been under a sleeping curse" Cass explained, she then turned to Snow who then nodded, "I can go back to that netherworld..." Snow told them, "The door to that place it closed, you said it yourself!" Mulan said, "There may be a way" Snow said, "I read about it once, there could be a way of Snow going back into a deep slumber, so she can access it again" Cass explained, "Another sleeping curse?..." Emma asked worriedly, "No, not another curse" Cass said, "I don't need one, I've been under already" Snow added, then Cass took over again "She needs to go into a deep enough sleep, so that her natural defenses slip away. Where her mind can stop protecting her" Cass explained, "How?..." Emma asked, there was silence for a moment and then Snow turned to Mulan, "Your sleeping powder. If I inhale it I will fall into a deep enough sleep that I should be able to do this" Snow said, "I used the last of it on the giant!" Mulan said simply, "Then make some more" Snow said simply back, Mulan looked at each of them and then sighed in frustration, "The poppy plant is extremely rare in this kingdom, but I know a place that may grow some more, It's a bit of a journey from here" Mulan told them, "Can we make it by sundown?" Snow asked, Mulan nodded almost reluctantly, "We have to hurry!" she said and then began to lead the way and Snow, Emma and Cass followed.

 _Henry groaned as Regina tended to his burn, Mr Gold then sat forward "Here, let me take care of this" he said simply and then he ran his hand over Henry's arm and was instantly healed, "What caused this?" Regina asked, "When you venture further into the netherworld instead of away, there are risks. Someone woke Aurora before her soul was ready to return, the violence of that act tore her away...and injured Henry" Mr Gold explained, "We're lucky it wasn't worse. He's going to need time to recover before he can be sent back" Mr Gold said, "Out of the question"" Regina said firmly and at the same time David exclaimed "Not a chance in hell! We'd be monsters to even consider risking his life again" "Careful with your tone Charming! I understand your concern for the boy but I know Cora! Without our help Snow, Emma and Cass will soon be dead!" Mr Gold said firmly, "And then, a true monster will be on her way to Storybrooke" he then walked away from the bed and Regina stood up, "Aurora is gone! Why do we have to send Henry back to that fiery inferno with no one there to receive our message" Regina said firmly, there was a long pause and then David spoke up, "Because someone will be there" he said as he turned to face them, "Who?" Regina said doubtfully, "Snow!" he replied, "That's awfully big assumption" Regina said, "No, no it's not! She was there once before she can go back, she can find a way! She will, I know it! And I'll be waiting." David explained, "Your going to this netherworld?..." Regina said almost mockingly, "I faced you, how bad can it be?" David said, "It's not as simple as that" Mr Gold began "You can't get there, you haven't been under a sleeping curse" he told him, "Well then put me under one" David said back, simply but firmly, "If we do that there's a chance you might never waking up" Mr Gold told him, "Sure I will. When I see her she'll kiss me and I'll be fine" David said, "Now put me under! I have spent far too much time looking for my wife, it is time to bring her home!"_

They walked on still following Mulan, "Once we cross this ridge, we'll be near the woods of the dead, the last poppies in this realm have taken seed there" Mulan told them as she cut back the bushes with her sword, "You okay?" Cass asked Snow, seeing her look slightly nervous, "Yeah I'm fine..." Snow assured, "Wait, no, no, no" Emma said as she held her back, "You look nervous. This netherworld, how bad is it?" she asked her, Cass looked from Emma to Snow, "What's it like?" Cass added, "It's like your...lost. Drifting in the dark...no one to talk to, nothing to do except think about all the people that you love and that you'll never see them again" Snow explained, "Sounds awful..." Cass said, "Henry was lost in that dark too because of me..." Emma said, "Emma no..." Cass said, "What are you talking about?" Snow added, "He tried so hard to try and convince me I was the savior!" Emma replied, "Stop it!" Snow said firmly, Nobody would of believed Henry's stories" Cass added, "But his mother should have..." Emma said "Okay, you wanna play the blame game. If I hadn't told Cora about Regina's true love, Cora never would of killed him, Regina wouldn't want revenge, the curse never would of happened" Snow explained, "We could spend all day trying to figure out why each of us should feel guilty, but it will not help us get home" Snow added, "You really think we're going to make it back?" Emma asked, "If there's one thing you father has taught me, it's not to give up" Cass smiled slightly as she looked from Snow to Emma, "Now! it's time for me to go back to sleep" Snow said after a moments silence, Snow then began to walk on and Cass was about to follow when Emma spoke "It's Regina!" she said simply, "What?" Cass and Snow said together, "Regina, that's who we should blame!" Emma repeated firmly, Cass frowned slightly, "Emma!" she said as she went to stand in front of her, "The one thing I learned from my fathers actions, is you should never hold a grudge towards anyone. Believe me I would be more than happy to place all the blame on Regina after what she did to me, but I know deep down that revenge will never solve anything. Holding a grudge or seeking revenge is probably the worst solution to take. I just wish my father would see that..." Cass explained to her, "I..." Emma began but then there was a shout from further up, "Come on!" Mulan called to them, "We better hurry if we want to get there by nightfall!" Cass looked over at Mulan and then glanced once more at Emma before carrying on walking.

Eventually they arrived at their destination, "Over there" Mulan told them and she pointed to a patch of ground, they wondered over and Cass stared down at the poppy "It's beautiful..." she said almost entranced, "I'll use my dagger to crush the seeds" Mulan said, "We're doing this the old fashioned way" she bent down and plucked out the poppy. 

_"What do you mean the old fashioned way?" David asked as Henry and Regina came back into the room after, he had watched her making the curse, "Your about to join a quite...distinguished club Mr Nolan" Mr Gold told him, "Before such innovations as the apple, back when the sleeping curse first came to be, a more direct method was required. Through blood. By pricking ones finger on the needle of a spinning wheel, one falls under the spell. Your majesty, you did his wife, I'm sure you'd like the honors" Mr Gold said, he then offered Regina the needle, she took it and Henry watched as she dipped the needle point into the liquid, it glowed for a moment and then stopped and Regina withdrew the needle and placed it back onto the spindle, "It's all yours" Regina said to David and then walked back over to Henry who then went up to David, "Good luck" he said and hugged him "It's gonna be alright" David told him "How do you know?" Henry asked worriedly, "Well..." he said as he bent down in front of Henry, "How did you know Emma would safe you after you ate the turnover?" David asked him, "I believed in her" Henry told him, "The way Snow and I believed she would come back to brake the curse. That's the kind of faith that runs in our family" David explained, Henry then took off the necklace he was wearing and put it round David's neck, "This helps control the flames in the room, It'll keep you safe" he said to him, "I will guard it with my life" David promised_

Mulan was crouching down, crushing the poppy seeds on a rock, "The powders nearly ready" she told them, Cass was feeling a little nervous now but she was sure she wasn't as nervous as Snow was, she couldn't imagine having to face going into that place, "How long will the effects last?" Snow asked as she sat down at the base of a tree, her scarf was now wrapped around her like a shawl "It's difficult to say. Maybe an hour, not much less" Mulan explained, Cass then sat down beside Snow, Emma then came over to the, placing the compass into her pocket, "Well I shouldn't need much time, so long as Henry's in there when I am" Snow said, "We'll be right here" Cass said to her and Emma took Snows hand "Say hi to my son for me" Emma said, Snow nodded and smiled, Cass looked down for a moment and then spoke, "Tell...tell Henry to say to my father...that I'm sorry..." she said and then glanced up, Snow smiled at her "I'm sure he knows" she said softly to her, Cass looked up at Snow and then saw her nod over at Mulan who came to them, she bent down and gently blew the powder into Snow's face, she closed her eyes slowly as she fell into a deep sleep, Cass looked over at Emma and they both shared the same look of worry.

 _David stared at the needle for a moment, Mr Gold began to spin the spindle and David reached out his finger and then stopped, "When I awake, I'll be in that fiery room?" he asked, "Not exactly. That room is where those already awoken from the curse return. You however are being put under for the first time" Mr Gold explained, "Well...then how will I know where to go? How the hell am I supposed to find a room with no door?" David asked, "And that dearie, is the conundrum we are all depending on you solving" Mr Gold said rather firmly, "Now I say this with the up most sincerity. Good luck" he added and then starting spinning the spindle again, David sighed softly, he held out his finger and pricked it on the needle, then slowly closed his eyes and fell down onto the bed he was sitting on, Henry then ran over to him and Regina and Mr Gold straightened him onto the bed._

Cass was still sitting by Snow's side, she held her hand gently as she watched her sleep, Emma was talking to Mulan, she then walked back over to Cass and sat down beside her, "I'm gonna go hunt some food for us" Mulan announced and then walked off towards the trees, Cass watched her go and then looked back at Snow, "So...how is it you know so much about all this...dark magic...stuff?" Emma asked, Cass looked round, "Well...when your the daughter of the dark one, your most likely to pick up a few things" Cass told her, "Right...I forgot..." Emma said, Cass smiled slightly and looked away again "What's he like...as a father I mean" Emma asked, Cass considered the question for a moment before answering, "He's alright I guess, I mean I wouldn't give him father of the year or anything, but he tries" Cass explained "You know, people always see him as a villain. All they ever see is the darkness in him, they don't ever see what I do. There is good in him, deep down...he just...doesn't show it. He doesn't want to show weakness" Emma nodded slightly, "You should give them a chance you know" Cass said, "Your parents, I mean...what they did...I think they really were trying to give you your best chance" Cass explained, Emma said nothing and just sighed slightly, "It's not that easy kid..." Emma said, she then stood up and began to pace a little.

Cass watched Emma for a moment and then looked back at Snow, she then saw her eyes open slowly "Snow?" she said still holding her hand lightly, Emma heard this and rushed over quickly, "Hey, you okay?" Emma asked softly. There was silence for a moment and then Snow suddenly jumped up instantly as if she'd had an electric shock, "What happened?" Cass asked as she stood up also, "What are you doing?" Emma said, "I'm looking for more powder!" Snow said frantically, "I'm pretty sure we're out of that! What happened?" Emma asked, worried now "NO! I have to go back in, he's alone..." Snow said frantically still, "Henry?..." Cass said worried, "Is he okay?" Emma added, "NO! it's David! He went under a sleeping spell so he could see me, thought that my kiss would wake him but it didn't and now he's trapped!" Snow said hurriedly, "Slow down!" Emma said, trying to calm her, "David is trapped in there?" Cass said, "I have to get back...there's only one way to help him..." Snow said, "True loves kiss..." Cass answered, "YES! It won't work in there...we have to get back! If we don't he..." Snow said even more frantically now, "We will..." Emma said to her, "Are you so sure?" Snow asked her, Cass could see she was close to tears, "Yes. You told me to have faith and now I'm telling you, we will make it back. Okay?" Emma said gently, "Did you get the information?" Cass asked her and Snow nodded, "It's Rumplestiltskin, he says the key to stopping her is in his jail cell" Snow told them, "Jail cell?" Cass said curiously, "Okay...then lets go get it" Emma said, "Come on, get your stuff, both of you" Emma added, Cass then looked round and frowned slightly, "Guys! Shouldn't Mulan be back by now?" Cass said to them, "Where is she?" Snow asked, "She went to get food..." Cass answered, Emma then began checking her pockets and then searched around frantically, "Emma?..." Cass said "No..." Emma said, "What?" Snow asked, "The compass is gone!" she said in panic, Cass looked at her wide eyed, "No...she wouldn't..." Cass said worriedly.

 _Henry watched over David as he slept, starting to get really worried now, he had been under for a long time,"Come on...come back!" Henry said, he then turned to looked back at Regina and Mr Gold, "Should he be in there so long?" he asked them, "I'm sure it's fine...I imagine their just catching up" Regina answered giving him a kind smile, Henry smiled back and then looked at David again not noticing the worried look Regina gave to Mr Gold and the head shake he returned, Henry then reached out and placed his hand on top of Davids._

They ran on through the trees, Cass and Emma following Snow's lead. They then saw running up ahead and Snow took out one of her arrows from her quiver and readied her bow, she then fired and hit the tree inches away from where Mulan had just run to, she stopped instantly, "That was a warning shot! Try to run and I promise the next one won't be!" Snow said firmly, "How did you find me?" Mulan said, raising her hands up, "I know a thing or two about tracking!" Snow replied, "All we want is the compass!" Emma said firmly, "Very well..." Mulan said as she turned to face them, she then went to draw her sword but Snow was to quick and tackled her to the ground, the point of the arrow next to Mulan's throat, "Give me the compass!" Snow ordered, "And seal Aurora's fate!" Mulan said firmly back, "We've learned how to over power Cora! Once we get what we need, we will defeat her and Aurora will be free" Snow explained, "Another journey! Just as I predicted there would be! The only chance to save Aurora is to make that trade!" Mulan said, "Not gonna happen! Without that compass we can't get home!" Snow said, "I hope your prepared to use that arrow!" Mulan said to her. Nothing happened for a moment and Cass watched fearfully, Snow then raised the arrow as if to strike, "STOP!" came a cry from the trees nearby, they all looked round to see Aurora come running into view, Cass frowned slightly, "Okay...don't take this the wrong way, but how the hell did you get here?" Cass asked confused, "Let Mulan go!" Aurora ordered, Snow hesitated as she stared at Aurora, "I said let her go!" she repeated and Snow instantly stood up and Aurora helped Mulan to her feet, "Were you followed?" Emma asked, "I...don't think so..." Aurora said, "Cora may know I'm gone, but she didn't see me escape" she added, "How did you escape?" Cass asked still confused, "It was Hook, he let me go." Aurora told them, "Why?" Emma asked, "Because of you" Aurora said to Emma, "He said he wanted to prove to you that you should of trusted him. That if you had trusted him you could of defeated Cora together. That the two of you could of gotten the remains of the wardrobe. Without him you'll have to go up against her all by yourself. He only wants to help. I...I think he may care for you" Aurora explained, Cass frowned sightly, she could sense something was wrong but she just couldn't think what, Emma then took the compass back from Mulan and held it in her hand for a moment, thinking "Did you find a way to stop Cora?" Aurora asked, "Yes!" Emma said, "Where are we going?" Aurora asked, "My father...Rumplestiltskin's cell" Cass answered, "Okay, then lead the way" Aurora said simply, Cass continued to frown as she stared at Aurora, something just wasn't right.


	17. Chapter 17

Cass POV: Normal

 _Henry's POV: Italics_

They finally arrived and Cass found they appeared to be in some kind of underground cave, Mulan lit a touch and her and Aurora went on ahead along corridor while Emma, Snow and Cass stayed behind "Rumplestiltskin's cell...I haven't been here since before Regina's curse...this is where he told us you were going to be the savior Emma" Snow said, "He knew?" Emma said, surprised "It was prophesied" Snow said, Cass looked at Emma and then looked back towards the cell, "Come on" Snow said as she walked on and Emma followed slowly, Cass however stayed where she was and just stared toward the other end of the corridor, at the cell, it was strange and awful to think of her father trapped inside there, after a moment Cass walked down towards the cell but did not go inside, "The squid ink, it's not here!" Aurora said, Cass still got the strange feeling something was very wrong with her, "Gold said we would find it" Snow told them, "Was there anyone else in here with him? Could they have taken the ink?" Mulan asked, "No, he was kept alone...visitors were forbidden, he was to dangerous to allow any human contact" Snow stated and Cass stared at her, "Really?..." she said sadly, "He...he was aloud no one?" Snow looked round at Cass and sighed slightly, "How did he keep from going crazy?" Emma said, "He didn't" Aurora said, Cass looked over at her and saw she had something in her hands, "What is it?" Cass asked trying to peer over still to afraid to go inside, "Is it a message?" Emma asked, "Yes! And I think it's for you!" Aurora said bluntly as she handed Emma what looked like a scroll, "Why would you think..." Emma began and then stopped as she looked down at the scroll, "that..." she finished, Cass just caught a glimpse of what was on the paper, all the way down the scroll was the words 'Emma' repeated over and over again, "Wow...my father really did go crazy..." Cass said sadly as if finally coming to terms with the truth.

 _Henry was through the back of Mr Gold's shop sitting with the still sleeping David as he read from the 'Once Upon a Time' book, hoping it would help to bring him out of his slumber, "With one kiss, true loves power made everything right again" Henry read "But this was not the end of their story, it was just the beginning" just then Regina walked through from the front of the shop and Henry looked up at her "I think this time it will happen the other way around" she told him "You think so?" Henry asked hopefully, "I do" Regina said in a whisper, "Which is why I need you to stay here and watch David for a little while" Regina said as she crouched down in front of him, "Where are you going?" Henry asked curiously, "Mr Gold and I need to prepare for Emma, Mary Margaret and Cass' return. Coming through the portal won't be easy. We need to make sure everything's in place" Regina told him, "Really?" Henry said, "Your really going to help them?" he asked her, "I promised you I was going to do better. To be better. So yes, I'm going to do everything in my power to see to it they come home safely" Regina replied, "Wow! You really have changed" Henry said gladly and smiled brightly at his mother, Regina smiled slightly back and then stood up again, "I'll be back as soon as I can" she told him, she then turned and walked out of the room, Henry watched her go and then went back to reading to David_

Emma was sitting on the ground, still studying the scroll, trying to work out what it meant, Cass watched Emma, she was still lingering outside the cell, while Mulan, Aurora and Snow continued to search for the ink, "What does this even mean?" Emma said getting frustrated, "It's obvious, it means my father really was crazy..." Cass said, "He was obsessed with you Emma!" Snow stated "You were the key to brake the curse!" "We've looked everywhere! There's no ink in this cell!" Aurora stated bluntly, "There has to be!" Snow said frantically, still searching around, "He told David!" "Your were in a netherworld, maybe something got lost in translation" Emma said distractedly, "No!" Mulan said, she withdrew something from behind a rock "She heard right" Snow ran over to her, "You found it!" she said excitedly, "In a manner of speaking...there was ink in this cell..." Mulan told them, Cass sighed slightly and looked down at the ground.

Suddenly Aurora threw a rock out the of cell and it hit the wheel to operate the door, Cass screamed and fell backwards, the cell door slid down and shut Emma, Snow, Mulan and Aurora inside, "Aurora! What are you doing!" Emma cried, Cass gasped as she ran over to the cell and then she heard a small laugh behind her and turned around sharply to see Cora standing at the opposite end of the corridor and Hook leaning against the wall, "No..." Cass said fearfully, she then held up her hand, hoping she could conjure up some magic but before she could even begin Cora waved her own hand and Cass felt her arms and legs bound together and she toppled over, "She was helping me" Cora stated as she walked over to the cell and then waved her hand again and the compass disappeared from Emma's hand and into Cora's, "No..." Emma gasped and began shaking at the bars, "Don't waste your energy dear, Rumplestiltskin himself couldn't escape from this cell" Cora stated "Thank you Aurora, we couldn't of done it without you" Cora said to her, Cass frowned slightly "How could you do this?" Emma cried, "How could you?" Snow exclaimed, Cass then looked at Cora "Because she didn't know what she was doing!" Cass said firmly, "Her heart! It was ripped out!" Cora looked down at Cass on the floor, "Clever girl" she said as she took out Aurora's heart from a small satchel, "She was only doing what she was told" Cora stated "You took her heart?" Emma said firmly, "Actually...I did!" Hook said simply, "It was a gift" Cora then squeezed the heart slightly and Aurora gasped in pain, "NO!" Cass cried still struggling against her bonds, "Forgive us, we'd loved to stay but Storybrooke awaits" Cora said simply and then turned to leave, "Hook!" Emma said desperately and he walked over to the cell, "Please don't do this...my son is in Storybrooke! He needs me!" Emma begged "Perhaps you should of considered that, before you abandoned me on that beanstalk" Hook said simply, "You would of done the same..." Emma told him "Actually, no" Hook stated, he then held up something on a chain, "You know what this is Emma?" he asked, holding it in front of her "Bean that the giant kept!" she said and made a grab for it, "Eh,eh,eh" Hook said, holding it out of her reach, "Yes indeed. Pirate always keeps a souvenir of his conquests but this...well this is much more than a mere trinket. This is a symbol. Something that was once magical, full of hope, possibility. Now look at it. Dried up, dead, useless. Much like you" Hook said to her, "Time for making deals is done! Just as am done, with you" Hook said as he backed away from the cell, before he walked up the corridor he stopped as he approached Cass and with his one hand picked her up and flung her over his shoulder, "What are you doing?" Snow and Emma cried as Cass kicked and wriggled trying to brake free, "Yes Hook, what are you doing?" Cora added, "She's my leverage to getting my revenge on the crocodile!" he stated, "NO! Get off me!" Cass cried as Hook began to walk up the corridor, carrying Cass, "NO!" Emma and Snow both cried, "CASS!" as Hook rounded the corner, Cass never took her eyes off the cell, feeling nothing but fear.

 _"And yes, she was beyond hope. Beyond saving. This was her..." Henry was then cut off by the sound of the bell from the shop door and running footsteps. Next minute Ruby came through with the Dwarfs, "Where are they?" Ruby asked in a panic "Regina and Gold!" "What's going on?" Henry asked worriedly, "All the magic as been drained from the mines!" Ruby told him, "They stole it?..." Henry said "They sneaked in after our shift and took everything!" Grumpy said "Nobody steals from a Dwarf!" he added angrily, "Except the queen..." Doc said, "And Rumplestiltskin..." Happy added, "If...their not helping Emma, Mary Margaret and Cass...then...that means my mum lied to me..." Henry said sadly, Ruby then bent down in front of him "I'm sorry Henry..." she said sadly, Henry said nothing for a moment, "We need to find them!" he said simply and looked Ruby, "We need to stop them! We need to help Emma, Mary Margaret and Cass!" Henry stated and Ruby nodded in agreement._

As they journeyed on Cass continued to kick and fight against Hook's grip, "Where we going?" Hook asked, all the time trying to keep Cass restrained, "Lake Nostos" Cora replied "The legends says, it's waters hold the power to restore what was once lost" she explained, "It'll return magic to what remains of this wardrobe" she held up the bottle of ashes, "I still don't see why you had to bring the girl!" she said simply as she watched Cass still struggling, "Like I said! She's the key to my revenge! Did you know? That she was the dark ones daughter?" Hook asked, "Yes! I found out recently" Cora told him, "And you never cared to mention that?" Hook said "It didn't seem relevant" Cora stated, "Well it is to me!" Hook said as they arrived at their destination and looked ahead of them, "I may be a simple pirate, but I know one thing...lakes have water" Hook stated simply, Cass peered round, trying to see what was happening, she then saw Cora twirl her hand round in a circle and instantly a hole appeared in the ground and water came swooshing out like a fountain, "After everything we've been through, why do you still doubt me?" Cora said simply, Cass stared at the fountain in the middle of the clearing and began to struggle against Hook's grip again, he kept a firm hold on her as they walked over to waters edge, the fountain dialed down slightly and Cora took out the jar of ashes again, "And now the ashes" she said simply, "NO!" Cass cried and tried to reach over to knock the jar away from her but the bonds restrained her from doing this, Cora looked Cass straight into her eyes "Oh my dear, this is going to happen, I promise you" Cora said to her and then sprinkled the ashes into the water. Instantly a whirlpool was created in the middle of the pool, it then grew wider and wider until it filled the whole pool, "Here we go, we'll be in Storybrooke soon enough" Cora said proudly, "I really look forward to seeing my daughter" Cass then felt Hook's grip slacken slightly and she kicked out one more time as hard as she could, he was caught of guard and dropped her onto the ground, Cass gasped in pain as she hit the stones and then shut her eyes trying with all her might to use her magic and release her bonds, but it was no good, she could not conjure any magic, "Stupid, foolish girl!" Cora said firmly, Hook then pinned her down with his hook and then picked her up again, Cora then waved her hand and Cass instantly disappeared, however Hook could still feel Cass wriggling and kicking him, "What did you do?" he asked, "A little invisibility spell" she told him, "Now, how about we make it easier for the trip" she then waved her hand again and Cass was instantly knocked out.

 _Henry and Ruby were running through the trees trying to find Mr Gold and Regina, Henry then heard a noise up ahead and ran faster. After a moment he caught sight of them both standing beside the wishing well which had some kind of spell placed over it, Henry ran over to them both, "Mum?..." Henry said fearfully, "Your not helping them are you?..." he said to her, "I'm helping you, Henry" Regina stated, "What are you talking about?" Henry said stubbornly, "Your going to kill them!" Ruby said as she made a run towards the well, "Sorry dearie..." Mr Gold said and with a wave of his hand threw Ruby backwards, she fell to the ground, unconscious, Henry looked over at Ruby and then back at Regina, "Mum! What are you doing?" Henry said fearfully now, "I can't let Cora come through the portal...you have NO idea what she would do to us!" Regina told him, "They are going to defeat her, Emma, Mary Margaret and Cass are going to come through!" Henry said desperately, "Henry! Your mother's right, it's gonna be Cora!" Mr Gold told him, "No, it won't! it's gonna be them, your daughter WILL come back through and so will Emma and Mary Margaret!" he stated "Good always defeats evil, you should know that more than anyone" Henry said as he looked back at Regina, "What I know is, my mother will destroy everything I love, and that means you...and I can't let that happen" Regina said to him_

 _Henry stared at Regina for a moment he then frowned and raced towards the well, Regina gasped and grabbed hold of him and held him back, "YOU CAN'T! STOP IT! YOU CAN'T! YOUR GONNA KILL THEM!" Henry cried as he struggled to brake free from Regina's hold, "PLEASE! NO! THEIR GOING TO MAKE IT THROUGH!WE HAVE TO TURN IT OFF! YOUR GONNA KILL THEM!" Henry kept shouting, he then managed to brake free from Regina's hold and he ran up to the well, "No, Henry!" Regina cried and pulled him back again, "What are you doing?" she said firmly as she got him away from the well, "Their going to come through, Emma, Mary Margaret and Cass, I know it! You said you wanted to change! To be better..." Henry said to her, "This is how...you want me to have faith in you? Have faith in me!" he told her. Regina stared at Henry for a moment, she then backed away and turned to face the well again, "Regina?" Mr Gold said firmly as Regina walked on over to the well and held out her hands, she then began to extract the spell from the well, driving the force of the spell inside her, Henry watched in shock and fear as she done this. Regina was thrown backwards and the well turned to normal, Henry looked at Regina and then over at the well, watching closely, hoping._

 _Nothing happened and Regina sobbed slightly, "NO!" Henry cried as he ran over to the well "I'm sorry Henry..." Regina said sadly, "I'm sorry..." Henry stared at the well as he felt tears leak from his eyes, suddenly a hand appeared at the top and Henry watched eagerly, and then Emma climbed out, "Mum?..." Henry whispered, Snow then climbed out after Emma, "Henry?" Emma cried and Henry ran up to her and hugged her tightly, "Mum!" he cried happily, "I missed you!" Emma said happily too, "I missed you too..." Henry said, "I missed you so much!" Emma said, Snow then joined in the hug, Emma then glanced up and saw Regina on the ground and Mr Gold standing a few feet away, "Miss Swan?" he said simply, "Where...is...?" he began but then cut off, Emma withdrew from the hug and Henry looked towards the well, "Where's Cass?" Henry asked, finishing Mr Gold's sentence, Emma looked down at the ground unable to answer "We...we're sorry..." Snow began "Cora...she..she got to her before we could save her..." Snow told them, "You mean she's..." Mr Gold said and then stopped and backed away slightly, Henry looked over at him and could see he was trying to hold himself together, "What happened?" Henry asked as she looked round at Emma and Snow, "We...don't know exactly..." Emma said truthfully, they looked round again to see Mr Gold walking away from the scene and Regina got to her feet, "What's going on?" Emma asked, "What happened?" Snow added, Ruby was starting to come round, "She saved you" Henry told them, "Thank you..." Emma said to Regina, "Your welcome..." Regina replied, "You okay?!" Ruby cried, as she ran over to them and hugged Snow, "Where's my husband? I need to find him!" Snow said frantically and then she and Ruby ran off, Henry still had his arms around Emma, "Your mum...she...she's...a piece of work, you know" Emma said to Regina, "Indeed I do" Regina replied simply "Welcome back" she added after a seconds pause, "Thanks..." Emma said, still hugging Henry, they then made their way back to town._

When Cass came round she was completely disoriented, the ground beneath her was swaying side to side and she felt like she was lying on hard wooden boards, slowly she opened her eyes and found she was in some kind of boxed area, spots of light came through slotted cracks in the ceiling which. After a moment she thought she heard footsteps above her and then a latch was opened and Cass squinted her eyes at the bright light that met her, "Awake I see!" came a voice Cass knew all too well, Cora. Her eyes adjusted to the light just as Cora waved her hand and then Cass felt herself fall once more unconscious, her body fell sideways onto the hard floor.


	18. Chapter 18

Cass POV: Normal

 _Henry POV: Italics_

 _Henry and Emma were walking around the store, picking up the ingredients they were going to need to make the tacos for the welcome home party, "The party...are we going to have it as a remembrance for Cass too?" Henry asked her, "Of course kid" Emma told him as she added few more items to the basket and then they went to pay._ _When they came out of the store Henry had a sudden thought, "Should we invite Mr Gold and Belle?" he asked her, "Eh...we could ask...I'm not sure they will be to up for it though kid" Emma said, "But we'll drop by before we head home" Henry nodded and they headed along the street to Mr Gold's shop, "Gold?" Emma called out as they walked in "You here?" a moment later and Mr Gold came through from the back followed by Belle, "Miss Swan? What can I do for you?" Mr Gold asked, "We were...we just wanting to ask if you both would like to come to Granny's tonight. We were going to have a...remembrance for Cass" Emma explained. There was silence for a moment and then Mr Gold spoke, "Thank you...but we'll pass..." he said, "Yes...I'm not sure am ready to...be around people yet" Belle admitted, Emma nodded "Sure" she said "Well if you change your mind, the offers still stands" Emma and Henry both turned to leave then Henry stopped catching sight of something. It was one of those lanterns you send up into the sky, he picked it up and examined it, "Hey! Why don't we send one of these off. For Cass" he suggested and looked over at Emma and then at Belle and Mr Gold, "That sounds like a lovely idea" Belle said, "We can do it tonight" Henry said, "Sure, why not kid" Emma said and then went to pay for the lantern, "No...it's fine" Mr Gold said "it's on me" Emma nodded "Thanks...maybe see you both tonight" she said and then left the shop with Henry._

 _They headed back to the flat and Henry went running in first, "Hey! Guess what, tacos were on sale!" Henry cried out, "Apparently, tacos not a big item in the Enchanted Fores..." Emma began and then stopped as she spotted Snow and David in the bed, "What are you guys still doing in bed? It's the middle of the afternoon?" Henry said confused, "The trip back was tiring and I needed to rest..." Snow told him, "And I needed to...help her...rest..." David added, "Eh...lets...lets go make the tacos..." Emma said sounding a little shocked, "We have to make a lot...cause there's gonna be a ton of people at Granny's welcome back party tonight..." she added and as Emma went over to the bed Henry ran on into the kitchen._

Cass began to wake up again, her mind was fuzzy and as she opened her eyes she found it was blurry at first. She managed to pushed herself up so she was sitting and brought her tied hands up to rub her eyes. Just then there were footstep above her and moments later the latch was opened and Cass looked up, she found herself looking up at Hook, he smirked as he climbed down into the hidden compartment, "Good, your awake lass" he said, Cass frowned at him not saying anything, "Now! This is how it's going to work, I'm going to ask the questions and your going to answer" he said, "Understand the rules?" Cass still said nothing and just glared at Hook, "Now! Where's your fathers dagger?" he said firmly, Cass frowned still "I don't know! And even if I did, do you really think I'd tell you?" she said stubbornly back, "He told you about it then, so you know what it does?" Hook said, "Course, and that's exactly the reason I wouldn't tell you! Anyway you'll never find it. The dagger has never left my fathers possession" Cass told him, "Enough, Hook!" came Cora's voice from above and they both looked up to see her standing there, "She won't tell you anything" Cass frowned up at Cora now, "You may as well let me go then!" Cass said stubbornly, "Oh no luv" Hook said "Your still useful as leverage" he said as he stood up and climbed out, "You can't keep me in here!" Cass exclaimed looking up at both of them, "I believe we can dear" Cora said simply and then waved her hand, Cass once again fell unconscious.

 _Later on Henry was outside with Emma, Snow, David, Mr Gold and Belle, they stood down at the area where Henry's 'castle' used to stand, preparing the lantern, "This was a lovely idea" Snow told them, Emma turned to Belle and Mr Gold "Do you both want to light it?" she asked them, Belle then stepped forward, Emma held the lantern while Belle and Mr Gold both lit it, they then all held onto it and let go at the same time, letting the lantern take off into the sky and float away, "Cass was an amazing girl" Snow spoke out, "She was both brave and kind" she then looked over at Mr Gold and Belle, "I'm so sorry..." she said to them, Belle nodded and put on a brave smile, "Your still welcome to come back if you like" Emma said to them, Belle looked at Mr Gold and then back at the others, "No...we'll be fine..." she told them, "Aright then..." Emma said and then she put her arm around Henry and walked off with him, Snow and David followed behind._

 _They arrived at Granny's with the tacos and went on in, as they entered there was a loud cheer from everyone in the diner, Ruby came running to the front of the crowd and hugged Snow, Archie then came on over and hugged Snow also, "We all missed you" he said to her, "Tacos" Emma said as she went up to Granny, "I can not tell you the relief of cooking something I didn't have to kill first" she told her, "Don't I know it. Meatloaf back home, what a bitch" Granny replied and then took the dish from Emma and went to the counter, David then tapped on his glass to call for attention, "I just wanted to thank you all for joining us tonight. Mary Margaret and I, we have a saying, that we will always find each other, and while I believe that with all my heart, I'd like you all to raise your glass and join me when I say, here's to not having to look for a while" David said, everyone then raised their glasses and laughed "Mary Margaret and Emma!" David cried out, Snow then came forward to stand next to David, "Though we are thrilled to be back, I would just like to take a moment to mention one member who was not so fortunate. Cass. Some of you may only have know her as Hazel but either way she had a place in everyone's hearts. She will be sadly missed but I believe she would not want us to morn. So please raise you glasses again in memory of Cass" Snow announced and once again everyone raised their glasses and there was a chorus of 'Cass!'_

 _Just then the door opened and Regina walked in, everyone turned and stared in shock when they saw her, "Sorry I'm late..." Regina said awkwardly, "What is she doing here?" Grumpy exclaimed as he grabbed a knife from the counter, "I invited her!" Emma said simply but firmly, Regina then moved over to the counter and placed a dish upon it, Henry then went over to Regina, "Hey!" he said, "Hi Henry" she replied and then Henry looked into the dish of lasagna, "Smells good" he told her, "Would you like a piece?" she asked him, Henry nodded and Regina got a plate and began to cut a little bit out of the dish and plate it up, "I'm glad you came" Henry told her and smiled, "Me too" she replied to him, Grumpy then came on over, "Oh, I made lasagna" Regina said to him, "What's the secret ingredient? Poison?" he said sarcastically, "Red pepper flakes! Gives it some kick!" Regina replied, Grumpy hesitated and then took a plate, he sniffed it first and then wondered off as he began to eat, then more people came up to try the dish until eventually the whole lot was cleared._

Much later, Cass awoke completely disoriented again, she sat up and rubbed her head as best she could and gasped thinking she heard a noise beside her, "Hello?..." she said fearfully, there was no sound, "Who's there?" Cass called out again, she then heard a muffled cry as if someone had been gag, Cass frowned curiously and moved closer to see but then there was the sound of footsteps above and moments later the latch was opened, Cass saw Hook and Cora above her, she then looked across and her eyes went wide at who she saw. Archie. She glanced back up at Hook and Cora, "Who's that?" Hook asked, "Someone privy to Storybrookes deepest secrets _,_ including Rumplestiltskin's. Someone who can help determine all his weaknesses here. We have one of them. But I'm sure he has more." Cora said, Cass watched them and then looked at Archie again, "If that's him, then who did you kill?" Hook asked, Cass' head shot up again at this, "How do I know, it's my first day in town" Cora said simply, "You disguised the body to look like him. If death wasn't punishment enough. Marvellous work!" Hook said, "Thank you!" Cora said happily, Cass frowned at them again "Now you'll have all the knowledge you need. It may take some work, but this cricket will chirp!" Cora told him, "Aye! That he will!" Hook said, Cass looked over at Archie again nervously.


	19. Chapter 19

Cass POV: Normal

 _Fairy tale Land: Italics_

Cass was forced to watch as Hook 'integrated' Archie, "Wait! No! Please don't! Wait! Please!" Archie cried as Hook approached him, "Shh...the dark one must of told you all manner of secrets" Hook said to him, "Where is his dagger?" Cass wanted so badly to help Archie "I don't know anything about a dagger!" Archie told him, "You really think my fathers going to tell people about that?" Cass said firmly, trying to get Hook away from Archie, "No, you don't do you..." Hook said, completely ignoring Cass "Its one of his weaknesses..." he added as he retreated slightly, he thought for a moment "Now tell me, does he have any others? We know the dagger and his daughter" Hook asked, Archie stayed firm and said nothing, "Very well! I've always wanted to dissect a cricket!" Hook said as he advanced on Archie again, "NO!" Cass cried, "Wait!...wait...please..." Archie cried fearfully, "That's more like it! Now tell me cricket! What's the weakness?" Hook asked firmly, his hook poised over Archie's head, "Archie..." Cass said fearfully, and then Cass heard him say one word she did not expect, "Belle...her name is Belle..." he said reluctantly, "Where can I find her?" Hook demanded, there was a pause and Hook brought his hook closer to Archie's head, "The library!" Archie exclaimed, Hook then smirked and retreated again, "Thank you! Now, I have some business to attend to" he said and then climbed out of the hiding spot and closed the latch, Cass watched Hook leave and then turned her head to Archie, "What do you mean Belle? How is that possible? My mothers dead..." she said completely baffled, it couldn't be possible, could it.

 _Belle walked up the hill, leaving Mulan and Philip to be better acquainted, she then stopped when she reached the top and looked over the landscape and smiled to herself. After freeing Philip from his beast form, it made her have hope for Rumple again and she began to believe that he could be saved, "I'm coming back Rumple!" she said proudly and then walked on down the hill and onward towards the castle._ _It took some time, but Belle finally arrived at the castle and she hoovered outside for a moment, looking up at it, she then walked in and called out for Rumple, he appeared instantly in the hall, "Why have you come back?" he asked her, Belle turned to face him, "Admit it, your glad I did" she said and smiled that kind, caring smile of hers, there was a pause and then Rumple said, "I'm not unhappy..." Belle smirked slightly to herself and walked over to him, "I still believe there is good in you" she told him kindly, "You just need help to let it out" Rumple looked almost nervous now, "I'm not going anywhere Rumple. I'm staying right here" Belle told him._

Cass was still determined to make her magic work, she was going to get out of here if it was the last thing she did. She shut her eyes tightly and tried with all her might to brake her bonds but nothing happened, "What are you doing?" Archie asked, "I'm trying to get us out of here!" Cass said, her eyes still tight shut, "It's no use Hazel..." Archie said, "My names Cass, and I can do this it's just...I'm a little rusty..." she told him, "Do what?" Archie asked, "Magic" Cass explained "But it's been so long since I've used it that I lost the spark" Cass said, before once again shutting her eyes tightly and concentrating on braking her bonds, with a heavy sigh she leaned back, frustrated "I don't know what I'm doing wrong..." she said, there was silence for a moment "Why don't you try not trying so hard. Try not thinking about what your trying to do" Archie explained, "If you say 'try' one more time..." Cass said but then cut off, "Just give it a go" Archie said, "Clear you mind and don't think to hard at what you want to do" Cass sighed softly but she did as he said and closed her eyes lightly and cleared her mind. Nothing happened for a moment and then she felt the bonds on her wrists and ankles slip away, she opened her eyes and smiled brightly, "It worked! I can do it!" she cried excitedly, she then instantly went over to untie Archie, but then stopped when she heard footsteps in the room beyond, "Someone's coming..." she whispered fearfully, "Hello!..." Archie cried, "What are doing?..." she cried back in a whisper, "It might be help!" Archie said back, "Hello?..." a voice came, that was definitely not Cora or Hook, "Down here!" Archie exclaimed, and moments later the latch was opened and Cass found herself looking up at a young women. It was same women she had seen her father entering the shop with, Cass stared up at her curiously, "Belle!" Archie cried and Cass felt her heart jolt, "Archie! Your...your okay..." she said shocked and confused, "Yes...I...I am..." Archie said a little baffled, Belle then looked over at Cass who was still staring up at her, "Who are..." Belle began but then stopped and really looked at the girl, "Cass?..." she said, almost in a whisper, Cass stared back, surprised "Do...do I know you?..." she asked timidly, "I'm...I'm your mother..." Belle told her and Cass' eyes widened in shock, "But...my mother...she...she died when I was small..." Cass said, "I didn't...Regina kept me locked away from you and your father" Belle explained, Cass was now to shocked to speak, "I...eh...hate to interrupt but...could one you...you know..." Archie said indicating his bound hands, Belle looked away from Cass and round at Archie, "Right! Of course!" she said and then turned around and found a long sword, she swiftly cut Archie free from his bonds, he then leaned down and untied his feet, then both he and Cass climbed out of the hiding spot, "Go! Find Mr Gold! Tell him I'm here! Bring him back to the ship!" Belle told Archie, "Wait, your not coming with me?" Archie asked, there was a sound from above and they all looked up, "Go! Cass you too!" Belle said hurriedly, "No...I want to stay! I can help!" she cried, "No! There's no time to argue! Go with Archie and find your father!" Belle said and ushered them both out of the cabin, Cass watched Belle go back into the room, "Come on Cass!" Archie cried and half pulled her up the stairs towards deck.

When they got on deck Cass stopped, "Come on! We have to go!" Archie cried, "You go! I'm staying! I have to help her!" Cass told him, "Cass...we have to..." Archie began but Cass gently but forcefully pushed him onward, "Don't argue! Just go!" Cass said, Archie sighed but did as she said and hurried off, Cass then turned and went back down below deck, she then heard someone coming behind her, gasped, she quickly hid in the room opposite to where Belle was and peered round, watching as Hook stepped into the other room, Cass could just hear what they were saying, "Looking for this?" Hook said as he stood in the door way, "That doesn't belong to you!" Belle said firmly to him, Cass frowned wondering what on earth they were talking about "Oh, it does now!" Hook told her. Nothing happened for a moment and then she saw Belle dart sideways and at the same time Hook did the same, when they straightened up Cass could see Hook with a gun in his hand, "My dear Belle...you should of stayed with your books! Real life can get so...messy" Hook said and then pointed the gun straight at Belle, Cass watched fearfully.

 _Belle was in the main room, sorting some flowers as she watched her one year old baby girl crawling on the carpet, the little girl went over to the chair at the top of the table and tried to pull herself up, Belle smiled and hurried over to her, "Come here little one" she said softly as she picked up her daughter and held her in her arms, "I don't think Papa will want you going in his seat" she said as she rocked her child gently in her arms, suddenly Rumple appeared beside them "What's going on here?" he said in a gentle voice, "Nothing, Cass here was just having a little explore" Belle told him, Rumple nodded and then went over to his spindle, "Oh dear, I'm right out of straw" he said, "I'll fetch some from town. Take Cass with me" Belle answered, Rumple then spun round, "No need" he said "I have no more business for the day" he told her, Belle smiled "Really? Your going to look after her?" Belle said, "Why of course, I have done it before" he told her and then walked back over to Belle and took Cass in his arms, "Your going to spend the day with Papa" he said to Cass, she responded by playfully blowing a raspberry and then giggled softly, "She certainly has her fathers sense of humor" Belle said, she smirked and went to put her cloak on, Rumple followed her "I won't be long" Belle said and then kissed Cass gently on the head and then gave Rumple a quick kiss also, "See you soon" she said before picking up her basket and heading out of the castle._

 _When Belle entered the forest she kept to the path like she always did, she had placed her hood up and was strolling happily along the road when she heard a carriage approaching behind her, she moved into the side to let it pass. It wasn't until she had turned around fully and the carriage had stopped beside her, when she realized who must be inside it. Then the doors opened and there sat Regina, Belle gasped and made to run, but two of the guards caught her, "Well, well" Regina said with an evil smile, "This is my lucky day" Belle struggled to break free from the two guards, "Take her to the tower!" Regina ordered and the men began to force Belle over to a small caged cart that was behind Regina's carriage, "NO! Please! You can't do this! My daughter needs me!" Belle cried frantically, "Don't worry dear" Regina said smugly, "I have something else in store for your precious little girl" she said, "NO! PLEASE!" Belle cried, "You can't keep us apart forever!" she cried "I'll fight for them! I'll NEVER STOP FIGHTING FOR THEM!" she shouted, Regina only laughed and signaled to the driver and they were off._

Cass crept out of the room she was in and slowly went over to the door so she was standing a few feet behind Hook, "I'm not afraid of you! And I'm not leaving without that!" Belle said to him, pointing to the side and Cass glanced over and saw an old shawl lying on the bench, she frowned slightly wondering why on earth Belle would need that, "Well I admire your loyalty, but helping Rumplestiltskin, I'm afraid your fighting a lost cause" Hook told her and he picked up the shawl with his hook, "He needs that shawl to find his son!" Belle exclaimed, Cass stared over at Belle in surprise and shock. Her father has a son? "What makes your think his son wants to be found?" Hook said braking Cass' train of thought, "I'm doing that boy I favor...I was probably doing the same for his daughter" Cass frowned at this, "Have you not hurt Rumple enough?" Belle said firmly, "Ah...I've hurt him?" Hook said indicating his hooked hand, "You stole his wife!" Belle said, "Tell me something luv. If a women comes to you, begs you to take her away, is that theft?" Hook said, he was now right up close to Belle, Cass watched this fearfully, though she was still very confused to what they were on about, Belle glanced behind Hook and spotted Cass, "Why would she leave him?" Belle asked, looking back at Hook, "Because he was a coward! And because she loved me!" Hook told her he then back off slightly and put the shawl back down onto the bench, "I should of burned this the moment I acquired it!" he said and then turned back to Belle, leaving the shawl on the bench, which then gave Cass an idea, slowly she crept into the room while Hook still had his focus on Belle, "Why didn't you?" Belle asked him, "Because she made it..." Hook told her, "I'm sorry she died...but...vengeance! Vengeance won't bring her back!" Belle explained, "Died? Like it was some kind of accident!" Hook said as he moved towards Belle again, Cass was almost at the shawl now, "Is that what he told you?" Hook went on, "He...he didn't say..." Belle said, "no...no of course he would leave out the most important detail of her passing!" Hook said firmly, Cass slowly reached out to pick up the shawl, still listening to everything that was being said, "And...what would that be?" Belle asked, "He killed her!" Hook said and Cass froze on the spot, the shawl in her hands, "He ripped out her heart...and he crushed it! Right in front of me!" Hook told her, "No..." Belle said firmly, "Yes!" Hook said, "No!" Belle said again, "Yes! He would do anything...anything to hold onto his power!" Hook explained, Cass then began to back out of the room and hid behind the door frame, "Why do you think anyone whose ever gone with him has either runaway or been killed!" Cass heard Hook say and then she heard the sound of the trigger on the gun and her heart gave a jolt, she wanted to rush in there and help but she knew Belle wouldn't want that, "Now what makes you think your any different? You or that daughter of his?" Hook said, "Tell me something darling...why would you want to fight for a man like that?" Hook added, "Because I still see good in him!" Belle began, "Because I believe he's changed! Because his heart...is true! And yours...yours is rotten!" there was a loud thump and Cass peered round the door to see Hook being thrown backwards into the hide out she had been in before, Belle then turned swiftly and ran out of the room, "Cass!" she cried and then took her hand, "Come on!" and they both ran up the stairs.

They got on deck and Belle pulled Cass towards the ramp, suddenly Hook appeared in front of them, "How the hell did you..." Belle began, Cass stood beside her hiding the shawl behind her back, "Oh I know this ship like the back of my...well you know" he said and smirked slightly, "I suggest you give that back to me now!" he said to Cass and she frowned slightly, and hid the shawl even more behind her back, "Or what?" came a voice and they all looked round to see Rumple come into view, "Papa..." Cass whispered, surprised, "Cass?.." he said staring at her in shock, "Your alive?..." Hook then turned to Rumple, "You look different in this world crocodile...like the coward I met so long ago, limp and all..." Hook said smugly, "Yet...you still can't kill me!" Rumple said simply, "Lets have it dark one...what magic are you going to hide behind today?" Hook said firmly, "Oh no, not magic!" Rumple said and then without warning he hit Hook across the head with his cane, Hook fell to the floor and Rumple began to beat him, "RUMPLE!" Belle exclaimed, "Papa, no!" Cass cried, "Hey, lets go!" Belle said to him, "Not yet Belle!" Rumple said firmly as he continued hitting Hook, "This! This is what you came for!" Belle cried, indicating to the shawl in Cass' hands, "This is what's going to get you back to Bae! And Cass is alive! We have her back. Please Rumple!" Belle pleaded, "Your wasting your breath luv! He can't resist! He has to prove that he's not a coward!" Hook said firmly, who was now bleeding from the nose and mouth, "You may want to turn away both you...this isn't going to be pretty!" Rumple told them and then continued hitting Hook with his cane.

Cass turned her head away and buried her face into Belle, "YEAH DO IT! DO IT! KILL ME!" Hook shouted to Rumple, "He has to show you how powerful he is!" Hook exclaimed, "Papa please...stop..." Cass said softly, "Rumple! This is what he wants!" Belle exclaimed "To destroy every bit of good in you!" Cass looked down at Hook and then over at Rumple "Please...don't do something you'll regret..." Cass pleaded now, "Come on! Rip out my heart! Kill me like you did Milah and then I'll finally be reunited with her!" Hook said firmly, Rumple then dropped his cane and then looked over at Belle and Cass, "He has to die!" he said simply and then went down to Hook as if to start struggling him, "NO!" Belle cried "No, he doesn't! There's still good in you, I see it! I've always seen it! Please...please show me I'm not wrong..." Belle pleaded to him. Nothing happened for a moment and then Rumple finally let go of Hook but he stayed leaning over him, "You take your little ship and sail until you fall off the edge of the world!" Rumple whispered firmly, "I never want to see you again!" he added and then hit Hook once more across the face before standing up and backing away from him, Rumple then picked up his cane and Belle took Cass' hand and went over to Rumple, "Lets go" Rumple said softly to them, Belle then took his hand and brought both him and Cass off the ship. Once they were off Rumple turned to Cass and placed his hand gently on her shoulder, "Your alive..." he whispered softly, Cass stared at her father for a moment, tears prickling at her eyes, Rumple then brought Cass into a gentle hug and smiled and hugged him back, "I'm sorry Papa..." she said through her sobs, tears now running down her cheeks, "Hey..." Rumple said softly as he withdrew from the hug, "You have nothing to be sorry about" he told her, "But...if I'd done what you said and...not gone into the forest, you wouldn't of lost me..." she said, "It's alright now" Rumple said, "It's all over with" Cass looked up at him and he smiled at her, Cass smiled back and he wiped away her tears, "Come on...lets go" he said, Belle came up to Cass and put her arm around her daughter, then she took Rumples hand with her other and they walked on away from the docks.

They went back to the shop and Rumple headed straight over to the counter and picked up a small bottle with a clear liquid inside, "What's that?" Cass asked curiously, Rumple kept his eyes on the bottle, "This...this is what's going to help me find Baelfire" he said, Cass glanced down slightly "Why didn't you tell me...that I have a brother?..." she asked, "Cass...I wanted to...truly I did...but I was ashamed...of what I did" Rumple explained, "And what was that?..." she asked him, still not looking up, "I lost him...I was to much of a coward and I lost him" Rumple told her, Cass then finally looked up and met her fathers eyes, for the first time ever she saw something in them she'd never seen before, guilt. "So...you know where he is?" Cass asked him, "To an extent" he told her, Cass looked up again "Can I come with you?" she asked, "I wish you could Cass. I really wish you both could, but...I only have enough of this potion for one" he told her, Cass frowned "Why do you need that? Surely now the curse is lifted you can just leave" Cass said, "Its not that simple. There was a price from me bringing magic here. Anyone who crosses the town line loses their memory of who they were" Rumple explained, Cass frowned slightly "So how does that potion work?" she asked, "I sprinkle this onto the thing I hold most dear and it lets me regain my memories" Rumple told her, Cass nodded slightly, "Well...when you do find him...will you bring him back?" Cass asked, "If I can..." Rumple said sadly, "Though...I'm not so sure if that will be what he wants..." Cass nodded and then Rumple began preparing everything he needed.

 _Rumple was sitting at the table with Cass in his arms, "Your growing fast little one" he said to her softly, Cass then gave a yawn and she fell asleep in his arms, Rumple smiled at her and then got up and placed her down into a small cradle and covered her with a blanket, "Aw, how sweet" came a voice from the door and Rumple turned to see Regina standing there, "What do you want?" Rumple said in a firm but soft voice as not to wake Cass, "I just thought I'd drop in" Regina said simply as she walked over to the table and began to help herself to a cup of tea, "What are you after?" Rumple said, Regina kept her back to Rumple and continued to make her tea, "I just thought you'd like to know, your going to be raising the little...dear all by yourself" Regina said simply, "What?..." Rumple said, "Your charming...Belle ran into some bandits in the woods. They robbed her and then finished her off" Regina told him, "You mean she's..." Rumple began, "Dead!" Regina said simply, "Who did this?" Rumple demanded, "Hush now. You don't want to wake the little one" Regina said smugly. There was silence for a moment and then Rumple pointed to the door, "We're done!" he said firmly and then strolled on over to the door to usher her out, "Fine!" Regina said as she put the cup back on the table and walked on over to the door, "The place is looking dusty Rumple! You should get a new girl" Regina said to him before strolling out of the room._ _Rumple stood stock still for a moment, taking it all in, he then heard Cass give a little cough and he went over to the cradle and looked down on her, "Hey..." he said softly as he reached down to stroke her cheek, "It's alright...your Papa's here...and I promise I will never, ever leave you or let anything happen to you" he whispered to her, Cass gave another little cough and then her head fell to the side and she went back to sleep._

They were all in the car, Rumple was driving, Belle was in the passenger seat and Cass was sitting in the back leaning over between the two front seats, Rumple stopped the car just before the town line and he turned off the engine, then picked up the shawl that was lying in his lap and he smiled slightly, "This would of been lost if it wasn't for you two. I would of been lost. After everything you've learned about me Belle. After everything I've done. Why haven't you given up on me?" Rumple asked to her, Cass looked from one to the other and then watched as Belle took his hand, "I learned a long time ago, that when you find something, that's worth fight for...you never give up" Belle told him and smiled softly, Cass smiled at them both "Look at us! We're still going strong. We have a beautiful daughter" Belle said and Cass glanced down slightly, "Your on your way to find your son. Everything will turn out fine" Rumple smiled at Belle and then looked at Cass, "When I thought I'd lost you...it tore me apart" he said to her, "Don't worry Papa, I'm not going anywhere" she said to him.

They all climbed out of the car and headed over to the town line, Cass noticed that there was now a red line marking the edge of town, she was holding onto the shawl as they stopped just before the line and Cass held out the shawl to Rumple and he poured the liquid onto it, the shawl glowed for a moment and then faded, Belle then took the shawl and placed it around Rumples neck and Cass stepped back slightly, "Okay..." Belle said with a smile "Here we go" Rumple whispered back and then faced forwards again. Slowly he stepped over the line and Cass saw a blue glow float around him for a second, it then stopped and he turned to face them, Cass looked worriedly at him for a moment, thinking it hadn't work and then he smiled "Belle...Cass..." he said, Cass smiled brightly and Belle let out a cry of relief, "It worked!" Belle exclaimed and reached out to him, Rumple brought is hand back over the line and took hold of hers, "Yes it did!" Rumple said happily, "Now you can find your son" Belle said softly, "Oh Belle...Cass, I so wish you both were coming with me" Rumple said, "As do I but...it doesn't matter" Belle told him, "Why not?..." Rumple asked, "Because you'll find him and when you do, we'll both be here waiting for you when you get back" Belle explained, Cass smiled as they both leaned in to kiss.

Suddenly a gun was fired and it hit Belle, she then fell forwards over the line into Rumples arms, "NO!" Cass cried out in shock and spun round to see Hook standing a few feet away, holding a handgun, "Don't count on it!" he said firmly. Cass looked back round at Rumple and Belle as he lowered her to the ground, "Belle?...Belle?..." Rumple cried worriedly, "Belle?..." Cass watched them both, tears in her eyes "Who's Belle?..." Belle cried out in fear, trying to push Rumple away, "No..." Cass whispered, "No...no...no" Rumple said in panic, "Fear not she'll live. She'll just have no idea who you are!" Hook said firmly to Rumple, "What you've done cannot be undone!" Rumple exclaimed, "Now you finally know how it feels!" Hook cried back to him, Cass looked round at Hook and then down at Belle again, "Mum..." she whispered softly, "Go ahead crocodile! Do your worst!" Hook exclaimed and then turned the gun on Cass "See if you can stop me before I shot your daughter!" Cass stood frozen in fear as she stared at the gun and then glanced at Rumple who placed Belle back over the line and then stood up, "Oh I intend too! Keep away from her!" he said and then conjured up a fireball in his hand and prepared to throw it, suddenly Cass heard something in the distance and she turned her head to see a car driving towards town, "PAPA! LOOK OUT!" she shouted, Rumple turned and then swiftly darted out of the way, pulling both Belle and Cass with him, Cass fell to the ground onto her side and she looked round in time to see Hook being hit by the car and land in a heap on the ground. A car horn tooted and then the car swerved and slammed against a rock, Cass looked round at Rumple, "You okay?" he asked worriedly, she nodded and then looked over towards the car and then back of Rumple, worry all over her face.


	20. Chapter 20

Cass POV: Normal

 _Fairy tale: Italics_

Cass just lay on the ground, letting what had just happened sink in, she then looked over at Rumple as he tried to comfort Belle "Who are you?..." she said frightfully, "What's going on?" Cass watched them both with tears in her eyes, she couldn't believe this had happened, after just finding her mother she had now lost her all over again, Belle then gave a cry of pain and clutched at her shoulder, Cass saw the wound from the gunshot, "Here, let me" Rumple said and he moved his hand slowly over the wound and it healed instantly, Cass rolled her eyes at this, 'Yeah, that's not going to freak her out' she thought to herself but she didn't voice this, "How did you do that?" Belle asked fearfully, "There's nothing to be afraid of" Rumple said gently to her, Cass then turned her head at the sound of sirens approaching and saw the Sheriffs car pull up at the scene "Keep away!" Belle said as she tried to shuffle away from Rumple, "Belle...please..." Rumple said almost pleadingly, "What are you?..." Belle cried, David came running over, "You okay?" he asked worriedly, he then spotted Cass and frowned "Cass?..." he said, puzzled "What's going on?" David said and he helped Rumple to his feet, Snow helped Cass up and then went to comfort Belle, "She crossed over the line and she doesn't remember..." Rumple told them, Cass still had tears running down her cheeks, Rumple put his arm around her comfortingly, just then they heard Hook shout from across the road, "His one true love gone in an instant!" Cass and Rumple both looked round at him, "Just like Milah, Crocodile!" he added, Rumple then walked away from Cass and over towards Hook, "Papa..." she said worriedly, "When you took her from me!" Hook finished, "You took her first!" Rumple said firmly and then kicked Hook hard in the face, "GOLD! Are you insane!" Emma cried and then Cass and David came running over, "Yes. I. Am!" he said as he began chocking Hook with his cane, Cass watched fearfully as David and Emma tried to pull him off, "You can't do this!" David cried, "I can if you let me go!" Rumple retorted back, "You don't want her to see that!" Emma told him, "I'm a stranger to her!" Rumple replied, "Murder is a bad first impression!" Emma told him, "What would Belle want you to do!" David said, "Come on! Your daughters still here! Don't let her see this!"

Suddenly there was another siren and they all looked round to see an ambulance approaching, Emma stood up and David managed to lift Rumple off Hook, Cass then ran over to her father and hugged him tightly, the ambulance stopped behind the Sheriffs car and Cass heard Emma shout out, "No him! Take care of him! He can wait! There's someone in there..." Cass then looked over at Belle who was now leaning against the Sheriffs car; she then closed her eyes tightly, wanting to block it all out, Cass felt someone take hold of her and she opened her eyes to see Snow, "Cass...your alive...?" she said in surprise, "Please, tell me there's a way to help her..." she said through tears, Snow sighed and hugged Cass gently "We'll try everything we can..." she whispered softly, "Come on...lets get you warmed up" Snow added and then walked Cass over to the Sheriffs car and got into the back with her.

Once they were back in town the car headed driven straight to the hospital; Emma and David got out and David opened the back for Cass and Snow, they all hurried towards the front of the building where the ambulance was parked, the paramedics were hurrying a trolley with the man from the car on out of the van and into the building, Snow then went to Belle and tried to comfort her, "I don't know what's going on..." Belle was saying frightened still, as they walked into the hospital there was so much commotion Cass was finding it hard to take everything in, another trolley then came in behind Cass, which contained Hook, "Hide him! Find a room and hide him!" Emma said to a nurse, who looked puzzled for a moment but nodded and hurried off, Cass then looked round as Rumple came into the hospital, "Belle? What's going on?" Rumple cried, "Get him out of here!" David shouted as he rushed over to Rumple, trying to force him back, "What's happening! Belle!" he then spotted Cass and she hurried over to him, "Papa...please...their trying to help..." she said pleadingly, "I'd like to know what's happening myself!" Leroy said as he came over, "BELLE!" Rumple shouted, "Everybody, calm down!" came Dr Whales voice, as he came over to where Rumple, David and Cass were "Mr Gold! Everything will be fine, she's in good hands here. I promise!" Dr Whale told him, everything settled a little and Cass went over to Rumple and hugged him, he gave her a gentle hug back and then went over to Whale, "I want to see her!" he said firmly to him, Whale sighed slightly but nodded, "Alright..." he said and then led the way upstairs, Rumple followed and Cass started to go too but Rumple held her back "Stay here Cass" he said softly to her, "I don't know what state she will be in" Cass was about to argue but decided against in and just nodded, she then stayed where she was as she watched Rumple head up the stairs, she then went to lean against the wall, watching the stairs the whole time.

Out the corner of her eye she could see Snow examining a cell phone, she frowned slightly and went on over "What's going on?" she asked curiously "We gotta get into his phone. Let me guess another pass code" David said softly, "We can't guess! There are a million possible combinations!" Snow said frantically, "Ten thousand..." Ruby corrected, "Ten thousand!" Snow repeated "Leroy. Can you get it open or something...hack it?" David asked him, "Well you do understand that computer hacking and pike axe hacking are different!" he retorted back, "Cass? You were always good at that stuff" Snow said to her, "On a computer yeah...cell phones are different" she said, she then felt an arm over her shoulder and looked round to see Ruby smiling at her, "Good to see you" she whispered, Cass did her best to smile back, but now was not the time with a big reunion party, as much as she was happy to see everyone, Emma then came on over, "Here let me try it, I have a thing, and we do know something, there was stuff in his car; rental agreement, maps, receipts" Cass watched as Emma plugged something into the phone and started to scroll through the screen, "His name is Greg Mendel. Now lets see..." they all crowded round Emma to look, "Pictures of him alone at a bunch of tourist locations, a online account, and he tweets pictures of his food..." Emma announced, "I'll keep looking, but I think what we have here is a well documented, real life, ordinary Joe. Or Greg" Cass frowned slightly, "So whatever kept people from stumbling into Storybrooke for the last 28 years..." Ruby began, "Is gone..." Snow finished, "Anyone can drive in. Why are my instincts telling me that's a bad thing...?" David said, "Because you've seen; E.T or Splash or any other movie where they find something magical and study it to death! Think what they'd do to a werewolf..." Leroy said, Ruby looked round at him and Cass wasn't sure if she looked afraid or insulted, "Oh and his friends and family...their gonna come looking for him soon!" Snow said bluntly, "Lets try not to over react..." Emma told them, "Leroy's right! We don't need outsiders here..." David said, "Hook says he doesn't know where Cora is, and god knows what's she's gonna do..." Emma said, "Cass, can you remember overhearing anything?" she asked, Cass shook her head "I was unconscious on the ship the whole time" Cass told them, "Other people coming here...that's not going to be good for anyone..." Emma said, "We need to find Regina! Let her know she was framed!" Snow said hurriedly, "I've been tracking her, but no luck...she's gone underground..." Ruby told them, "What if Cora finds her first, I don't want to think about the damage those two could do together! This could not have come at a worse time!" Snow said frantically, "It's okay...the guys being patched up right now, he'll probably be on his way home by morning" Emma said reassuringly, "Not quite..." came Dr Whales voice and they all turned to look at him except Cass who couldn't take in anymore and she walked away from the group and over to the stairs.

After a few minutes Rumple came back down the stairs, "Papa..." she said, as he reached the bottom, "Gold!" came Whales voice, as he drifted passed Cass she could of sworn she smelt a hint of alcohol on him, "You fixed me! Now fix him. It'll take you seconds, cost you nothing" Whale asked him, Cass looked from Whale to Rumple "No!" Rumple said bluntly, "No...just no!" Whale said, "I owe you nothing Whale! I owe none of you anything! And some of you owe me..." he said as he glanced at Emma, "So yeah! Just no! Oh and point of interest, the driver...he saw me throwing some magic! So instead of trying to get him out of here, you better be hope he dies! Because if he doesn't, he's going to be driving tour buses up and down main street. So glad I don't give a damn!" Cass watched as Rumple turned and walked away, "I'll go with him" she said to the others, "Good idea, encase he does something stupid" David said, Cass nodded and hurried on out after Rumple.

Once outside Cass looked around for Rumple but found he had vanished, she sighed, guessing he must of teleported himself away, she began to think where he was likely to go, and then the first place that came to her head was his shop and she was just about to start running there when suddenly she found herself outside the shop, Cass frowned curiously wondering what had just happened, and then it hit her; she had teleported...Cass took a minute to adjust to this before rushing over to the door and hurrying in, "Papa?" she cried out and saw him standing behind the top counter, Cass then rushed on over and stopped abruptly when she saw what was on the counter. The chipped cup, Cass stared down at it "You still have it?" she said brightly and then looked up at him, "Yes...it is the one item I truly cherish..." he told her, Cass looked down at it again and then back up "Do...do you think it will help...with her memories?..." she asked him, Rumple gave a soft sigh "I honestly don't know Cass..." he admitted

Suddenly there was a chiming sound, as if someone had just opened the door, Rumple looked up and Cass spun round but there was no one there, she looked back at Rumple, "What was that?" she asked curiously, Rumple looked puzzled for a moment and then he placed the cup under the counter and looked at Cass, "Go through to the back room Cass" he told her, "Why?..." she asked curiously, "Just...please Cass" he told her, Cass nodded and hurried through to the back, she stayed by the curtain and peered through a small gap, watching as Rumple went out from behind the counter and walked over to the door, he looked behind the blind for a moment and then turned back and he stood stock still, staring at the end counter, Cass carefully peered round and saw what he was looking at. A strange box had suddenly appeared on the counter, Rumple slowly walked back towards the counter, staring transfixed at the box "Hello, Rumple!" came a voice Cass knew all to well, she glanced across the room and saw Cora.

Cass bit her lip slightly as she watched, making sure she was well hidden but there was no point, "And Cassey dear" Cora said "Finally been reunited" Cass hesitated for a moment and then slowly came out from behind the curtain, "It's Cass!" she said firmly to her, "Well, I expected this was just a matter of time" Rumple said simply "I'd hoped you were dead but hey...disappointments just part of life, I'm sure we can agree on that" Rumple added, Cass looked from one to the other "Aw, the crocodile snaps at the little bird...and after I brought you a gift" Cora said simply, Cass looked at the box on the counter and then back at Cora "Yeah, did you bring the antidote too?" Rumple asked her, "Oh Rumple...it's a piece offering. Besides if I were going to hurt you, I would of done it through Cass here" Cora said simply, "What do you want?" Rumple asked firmly, "For this...this piece offering" Cass moved over slightly so she was further in the room now, a few feet away from Rumple, "My daughter. You were so clever to get her to lay the curse so you could come here" Cora told him "I'm surprised you didn't go to the same lengths to get your daughter back" Cass glanced at Cora and then looked at Rumple, "I never knew where she was!" Rumple said, "You don't need Regina anymore...Let me try to get her back! And let us live" Cora said, "And what do I get for my troubles?" Rumple asked her, "Your son..." Cora told him, Cass looked round at this and frowned slightly, Cora then indicated the box, Cass watched as Rumple began to open it. When he lifted the lid Cass saw inside was a globe like object, "You know what that is of course" Cora said simply, Cass stared at the device as she moved a little closer to the counter, "It'll find him..." Rumple said, Cass glanced up at Rumple and then back at the object. She vaguely remembered reading about these things, though she could not remember what you called them, "If this one truly is it!" Rumple said firmly as he turned back to Cora, "Oh darling, I have no reason to cheat you" Cora told him as she walked over towards Rumple, Cass stayed where she was by the counter and stared at them both, "Anymore..." Rumple said "I want you...to find the one person in this universe who might still love you, aside from your daughter" Cora told him, Cass looked at Rumple and he glanced at her and then they both looked back at Cora "After all I'm doing the same thing" Cora added "Do you have any spells to return memories?" Rumple asked her, "I only know what you taught me. Master." Cora told him, Cass stared from one to the other, "So, will you accept my offer of a truce?" Cora asked him, Cass looked over at her father and he hesitated for a moment, as if considering and then he held out his hand to her, "Truce" he said simply, Cora smiled and shook his hand "Lets seal it like we used to" Cora said to him, Cass frowned wondering what on earth that meant, then she gasped as Cora stepped forwards and they kissed!

Cass stared in utter shock as they drew apart casually and Cora turned towards Cass "Don't worry dear" she said to her and Cass looked round at her, "You won't have to deal with me again" and with that Cora vanished, Cass then turned to Rumple, "What the hell was that?" she said in utter disbelief, "Just a little history" Rumple said simply "Yeah! I can see that!" Cass replied almost sarcastically, Cass then moved behind the counter and lightly touched the globe object, "So...is this the real thing?" she asked him, trying to take her mind off what she had just witnessed, "As far as I know" Rumple replied and turned around to face Cass, "So, it will help you find him?" she asked, Rumple nodded, "I read about these things, there are extremely rare...I can't even guess how Cora obtained one" Cass said as she examined the object, "Well Cora...she has her ways..." Rumple said simply, Cass nodded and said nothing more; she then reached down below then counter and picked up the teacup, "Careful Cass!" Rumple said softly, "Papa...I'm not five anymore" she told him and then looked down at the teacup, "I still remember when you first told me about this" she said as she turned the cup over in her hands, she said nothing for a moment and then she looked up at Rumple again "Do you think it will work?" she asked hopefully, "We shall see" Rumple replied and Cass looked down again, suddenly she felt tears leak from her eyes and a couple dripped down and landed on the teacup, "Hey...it'll be alright Cass" Rumple said softly as he wiped away the tears and lifted Cass' head up to look at him, "It's just...so unfair...all my life I thought my mother was dead...and now I find out she isn't...I spend a couple of hours with her and...It's like I've lost her all over again..." Cass said as more tears ran down her cheeks, "We'll find a way to fix this, I promise" Rumple told her, "Now, come on...lets see if this works" he said "I charmed the teacup" Cass then looked up at him and he smiled to her, she half smiled back and then walked round the counter again and over to him, she hugged him tightly and he hugged her back, they both then walked out of the shop and towards the hospital.

 _A five year old Cass was wondering around the main room, examining everything that was in sight, she then came to a stand and picked up a teacup that was placed on top of it, she looked at it curiously and noticed it had a tiny chip on the rim, just then her father came over to her "Careful with that Cass" he told her, he gently took the teacup from her, "Why Papa...it's just a cup" she asked him, "It's not any old cup Cass. It's a token..." he told her, "Of what?" she asked, Rumple hesitated for a moment and then sighed, "Alright...I'll tell you..." he said to her, he then placed the cup down and picked up Cass and held her with one arm and then he picked up the teacup again and walked on over to the table and sat down in his chair, sitting Cass on his lap "This is the story of how your mother and I met" he explained to her and Cass listened interestingly, for a five year old she had a very good attention span, "You see...your mother first came to be here because I made a deal with her father. I told him I would help stop the Ogre wars that threatened their kingdom, and in return his daughter - your mother, was to come with me and stay forever" he told her, "And did she?" Cass asked, Rumple nodded "Yes. She came to live here, in my castle and she worked as my housekeeper," he explained, "Then...did you fall in love?" Cass asked him, "In a manner of speaking..." Rumple said, "At first I rejected. I told her I would always choose my power over love, so I sent her away. Then she came back...told me she wouldn't give up until she had helped me, I knew then that the spark would always be there...it was never again strong enough to rip me of my magic, but just enough for me to notice it. Then you came along, things couldn't of been better and then...she died..." Cass stared up at her father, "And...what about the teacup? Why is it so important?" she asked, "Not long after your mother came to live here, she dropped this cup and it chipped. She was afraid she had angered me. Kept apologizing over and over, I told her it was 'just a cup' and she relaxed. When I lost her...this cup was the only thing that truly reminded me of her" Rumple said, Cass looked down at the cup in Rumples hands and then back up at him, "I bet she would be pleased you kept it" Cass told him, Rumple gave a slight smile, "I hope so..." he said, he then stood up again and placed Cass down on the floor and took her hand and they walked over to the stand and he placed the teacup back on top, "I promise to be careful from now on Papa" Cass said, he looked down at her "Good girl" he said and smiled softly._

At the hospital Cass was waiting outside the room, while Rumple went in to try and get her mother to remember, she watched sadly as Rumple took out the teacup and showed it to Belle, "I know you don't remember...but just...indulge me" Rumple said softly, "Please..." he added and Belle took the teacup from him "Be careful with it..." he told her "It's a...it's a cup. It's damaged." Belle said simply, "Just look at it. Focus. It's your talisman." Rumple explained, "It's a cup" she said again, "You dropped it, in my castle. You were afraid that you had angered me," Rumple told her, Cass watched sadly as Belle began to shake her head "Okay...you need to go..." she said frightfully, "And take your cup!" she added firmly "I charmed it. If you focus, it will work" Rumple said "It's magic..." he added, Cass looked away at this and rolled her eyes, no way was she going to believe that, he had probably frightened her even more, "Okay, just GO AWAY!" Belle said more forcefully now, "Stop talking about magic and take your cup!" she added and she tried to push the teacup back at him, "Just look at it!" Rumple said as he pushed the cup back at her. Suddenly Belle threw her arm back and launched the teacup across the room and it hit off the opposite wall, Cass flung her hand to her mouth and stared in shock at what had just happened, a single tear ran down her cheek, "Just go...just go away!" Belle said firmly but frightfully, Cass looked at Rumple and he nodded slightly, "I'm sorry..." he said sadly as he walked towards the door, looking down at the smashed teacup as he went, Cass moved back from the door as he came out, "Papa..." she said sadly, he looked round at her but said nothing and then carried on walking, Cass looked into the room at Belle and then along the corridor as she watched her father stroll on down the stairs, Cass hesitated a moment before going also, wanting to be alone for a while.

Cass wondered around for hours, just walking up and down main street, trying to clear her head of what had happened, she then went to sit down on a bench, she sighed slightly and closed her eyes, thinking to her self. Suddenly she heard someone call her name and her eyes snapped open and she looked round to see Snow, David and Emma walk over to her, "You okay?" Snow asked as she sat down beside her, Cass nodded, not saying anything, "How about you come back to ours for some breakfast?" Snow asked her, Cass looked at each of them, "Oh...I...I wouldn't want to intrude" she said, "Nonsense, we'd be more than happy to have you over" David told her, Cass smiled "Thanks..." she said gratefully, Snow then took her hand and they all headed off towards the flat.

As soon as they walked in Henry came running down the stairs, "You were out all night, where were you? Granny wouldn't tell me anything!" Henry said, he then caught sight of Cass and he smiled brightly, "Cass! Your alive!" he cried and rushed over to her, hugging her tightly and Cass hugged him back "Yeah...still kicking" she said, "So, what happened? Did I miss it all?" Henry asked as he withdrew from the hug, "Cereal okay?" David called from the kitchen where he and Snow were, "Yeah!" Emma said and she, Cass and Henry went on over to the kitchen counter, "Rumplestiltskin and Captain Hook had a fight and someone go hurt" Snow told Henry, "We weren't sure Doctor Frankenstein could fix him but he did" Emma finished, "Doctor?...oh...that's who Whale is" Henry said, "Yeah! But without the neck bolts" Emma said, "The monster had the bolts not the doctor" Cass told her, "Right, but either way...some of us having known him...its weird" Emma said as she glanced at Snow, "It's not weird. We're passed it. We were cursed." Snow said simply, "What are you talking about?" Henry asked puzzled, "Nothing..." David told him as he placed three bowls of cereal out for them, "Wait..." Cass then said, "Really, it's nothing" Snow told them, Henry then got up and rushed off across the room, Cass frowned as she watched him, he came running back with his book "Frankenstein isn't in here. It's not even a fairy tale. That means he comes from another land with different stories" Henry told them, "Eat! I really wanna go to bed" Emma said placing the bowl in front of Henry, "If the curse went to places with other stories...then who knows who else is in this town" Henry added, Cass considered this for a moment as she eat her cereal, "But the curse probably just brought the people Regina wanted it to bring" she pointed out

Just then there was a knock at the door and they all turned to look, Emma got up to answer but before she reached the door it opened and Rumple walked in, "Gold...?" Emma said surprised, "We've all had a long night!" Cass frowned as she got up and walked over to where Emma was, "You remember that favor you owe me Miss Swan?" he asked her simply, "Yeah..." she said worriedly, "I'm cashing it in" he replied, Cass stared at them both, slightly worried now, "Its not a good..." Emma began, "You do honor your agreements, don't you?" he asked firmly, "Papa..." Cass said trying to calm him down, "I need to find someone. So we're leaving today, pack a bag" Rumple said a little softer now, "Leaving?..." Snow said as she came over and Henry followed suit, "w...where...?" he asked, "Wait, find someone...who?" Emma asked, "My son" Rumple said simply "It has to be today because every minute I'm here, is a minute closer to me killing Hook! So its really best for all concern if I leave...and your gonna come with me" Cass glanced at Emma and then looked back at Rumple as he continued "Oh and...we have a long history. So know this and know it to be true. If any harm comes to Belle or Cass while I'm gone, I'm killing all of you" he said simply but firmly, Cass bit her lip, "Papa...I'll be fine!" she said to him, "Just a little reassurance" he told her and then looked at Emma again, "I'll see you at noon" he said and then slowly turned and walked back out of the flat, Cass watched him go and then looked round at the others, they all had the same look of worry on their face.


	21. Chapter 21

Cass was sitting on the sofa watching as Emma packed a bag, getting ready to head off, Cass then got up and headed up the stairs to Henry's room, "Hey" she said as she sat down on the bed and watched him packing a backpack "How you doing?" Cass asked him "Great! Getting to go on a trip with my mum, it's awesome!" he replied, Cass smirked slightly "Be careful Henry" she told him, Henry smiled back at her "Don't worry, I'll have Emma with me, it's not like when I went off on my own to find her" he told her, "Yeah...that was so hard for me to cover for you" Cass said, just then there was a knock at the door and Cass got up and headed back down the stairs just as Emma opened the door and Rumple stood on the other side, "Ready to go Miss Swan?" he asked as he walked into the flat, "Almost..." Emma answered, Henry then came down the stairs with his backpack, "Do you think we'll be cold where we're going or warm?" he asked Emma, Cass looked round at him "Layers are always a good idea Henry" Cass told him, "I thought the terms of our agreement were quite clear, you owe me a favour. You alone" Rumple said to Emma, "I'm not leaving Henry here with Cora lurking about. So either we both go or we both stay!" Emma said firmly back to him, "Then we'll have to purchase another plane ticket, won't we" Rumple told them, Cass frowned "Plane ticket?" she asked curiously, "Wait, we're flying?" Emma asked, "Don't worry I'm covering expenses, even the new ones" Rumple told her and indicated to Henry, "Your a real gentleman aren't you?" David said, almost sarcastically as he came down the stairs and passed a bag to Emma before going over to Rumple, "Alright Gold, your going out there with my family, just know if anything happens them I'll..." David began, "You'll what?" Rumple asked, "Papa..." Cass said nervously, "Cross the town line, and David Nolan will hunt me down in his animal rescue van?" Rumple went on "I'll be devastated..." David told him "This isn't a threat, it's a request. Take care of them" Rumple said nothing for a moment, "I promise no harm will come to your family. After all...we have a deal" Rumple said softly, he then glanced at Cass and she smiled slightly to him, "Don't worry" David said to Rumple, "Mary Margaret and I will take care of Cass" he told him, Rumple nodded and then turned to leave, he indicated to Cass to follow and she did so.

They went out into the hallway, "Be careful Cass, there's no knowing what Cora will do" he said to her softly, Cass nodded "Don't worry Papa...I'll be fine. I managed to survive Wonderland on my own" she told him and Rumple frowned, "Oh...guess I forgot to mention...that's where Regina sent me" Cass explained, there was a moments silence and then Cass flung herself forwards and hugged him, "I love you Papa..." she whispered softly, "I love you too..." Rumple said as he hugged her back, "If you find him...bring him back...I want to meet my brother..." Cass said, there was pause and then Rumple withdrew from the hug, "I'll do my best" he said and then he reached into his pocket and took out a key, "Here...I thought you should have this" Rumple said, Cass took the key and frowned slightly "What is it?" she asked, "The key to the library" Rumple told her and Cass looked up at him, "Your mother was to be the new caretaker. She was getting it set up to open and...well I thought with her out of action, maybe you should take over" Rumple explained, Cass then smiled brightly and hugged Rumple tightly, "Thank you Papa!" she cried excitedly, Emma and Henry came out and Cass looked round at them, she hugged Henry, "Don't get up to mischief" she teased him and laughed, she then hugged Emma and watched as all three of them walked down the stairs, Cass then turned around and went back into the flat, closing the door behind her, she wondered over to the kitchen area where Snow was and she climbed up onto one of the stools, "You okay?" Snow asked her, Cass nodded "Yeah...I guess..." she said, "Hey...its going to be fine" Snow told her, just then David walked over, placing a gun into the holster, both Snow and Cass looked over at him "You like the holster ha?" Snow said to him, "I miss carrying a sword" David said "Well it looks good on you" Snow said, Cass frowned slightly seeing what they were doing, "Okay, if you guys are gonna flirt please warn me in future" she said looking between the two of them, they both smirked "Come on, Leroy has dwarfs on Cora watch. They've got eyes everywhere but they could use our help" David explained, "really?..." Snow said as she walked on over and Cass followed, "How hard can it be to find a powerful sorceress in a small town..." Snow said doubtfully, David helped her on with her coat and Snow opened the door to find Regina standing on the opposite side, her hand posed to knock, "Apparently not very hard" Cass said as she stood behind them, "Cass?" Regina said "Your alive?" Cass rolled her eyes slightly, "You know, I think I'm gonna make up posters announcing that yes I am in fact still alive" Cass said sarcastically, "Regina?...Your back?" Snow said, "I know you think I'm responsible for poor Dr Hoppers death..." Regina began, "Archie's alive" Cass told her, "what?" Regina said surprised "You were framed" Snow told her "Who would do that?" Regina asked "Your mother" Cass said, "She's here..." Snow added "That's...not possible..." Regina told them, "When we found a way back so did she..." Snow said, "And I honest have no idea how she did it. I was unconscious for most of the journey...and most of the time with her and Hook..." Cass explained, "We were wrong, and we're so sorry" Snow said to Regina, "I know. But if Cora's here then we're all in danger" Regina said to them, "Please you have to let me see my son, I can protect him" Regina added "He's...not here..." Cass said awkwardly "What?" Regina said surprised "Mr Gold asked Emma to help him find his son. They left town with Henry..." David explained "And no one told me?" Regina said a little firmly now "We didn't know where you were..." Snow said "And to be honest Regina...I don't think Emma has to run anything by you..." she added, "No, I suppose she doesn't..." Regina said simply, before she turned and went back down the stairs, Cass sighed slightly and Snow closed the door, "Well that went well..." Cass said, "For her it doesn't get much better..." David said, "Come on. Lets go find Cora" David added as he picked up some weapons, "Where?" Snow asked, "No idea..." David admitted as he handed Snow a bow and quiver of arrows, "But I know who to ask" David added, "Can I come?" Cass asked them, "Eh...no, Its probably best you stayed here Cass..." David told her, "Come on! I can help!" Cass said "No! I promised your father we'd keep you safe and out of harm" Cass sighed slightly, "Fine..." she said moodily, "We'll be back soon" Snow told her and they both left the flat, She then looked down at the key, which was still in her hand and then smirked, what better way to spend her time then in a library.

Cass wondered up the street and finally she reached the library, she went to the door and opened it up and smiled as she looked around at the stacks of books on the shelves, feeling almost at home in this place, Cass walked in and began sorting through the rows of books, preparing and cleaning the shelves, she then came across one of her favourite books; 'The Secret Garden' by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Cass held the book in her hands for a moment staring down at the cover, thinking to herself and then she had an idea, she placed the book into her coat pocket and then hurried out of the building again, locking the door behind her and rushed on up the street towards the hospital. When she arrived she went straight to the room she knew Belle was in to find it empty, Cass frowned slightly and then called to one of the passing nurses, "Excuse me, the women who was here, where is she?" she asked, "Down in the lounge" the nurse explained, "First floor, the room at the far end" she explained, Cass smiled and thanked the nurse before hurrying off

She got to the room and stood in the doorway for a moment looking in at her mother sitting on a sofa with her back to her, Cass sighed slightly before slowly walking in and over to the side of the sofa, "Hi..." she said softly, Belle slowly looked round at her, a puzzled look on her face "I know you don't remember me..." Cass said to her, "Sorry...no I don't..." Belle said, "My names Cass. We were...friends" Cass said, thinking it maybe wasn't the best idea to say 'You were my mother' she didn't want to freak her out straight away, "Anyway...I...I wanted to bring you something..." Cass said as she sat down on the sofa beside Belle and took the book out of her pocket, she passed it too Belle, "This is my favourite book" Cass explained "Reading was...something we sort of had in common, I thought...maybe you'd like to read it" she explained "Thank you..." Belle said timidly "Were...were we really friends?..." Belle asked her, Cass glanced down for a moment and then nodded slowly, "Yeah...we hadn't known each other long but...yeah..." Cass said, "Then tell me the truth! Before I was brought here, I was hurt. I was bleeding and this man came...and he...he healed me!" Belle said, Cass glanced away again and bit her lip slightly unsure of what to say "Then...I saw him hold a ball of fire in his hand! How...how is that possible?" Belle went out, Cass said nothing for a moment and kept looking at the ground "You were hurt...it was dark...maybe you...weren't seeing things clear..." Cass began "No, I know what I saw!" Belle said "They keep giving me these drugs and...I don't need anymore tranquillisers or..." Belle then stood up and began backing away, "Belle..." Cass said softly, "Don't call me that! Why does everyone keep calling me that?" she cried out, just then a nurse came up behind her, "I don't! I'm fine! I don't!" Belle tried to say as she struggled to brake away from the nurse but the women kept a firm hold on her and sat her back down and began to inject her "Is she been like this the whole time?" Cass asked worriedly, "More or less. We've had to keep her heavily sedated" the nurse told her as she stood up again "Okay, lets get you back to bed" the nurse said as she helped Belle to stand up, Cass watched as her mother was taken away, completely out of it now, Cass made to follow behind and she noticed someone else in the room, it was the man from the accident, what was his name...Greg something, "Everything okay in here?" he asked her, "Yeah! Everything's fine, Mr...Mendel is it?" she asked, the man nodded "She's alright. How are you?" Cass asked, "Much improved," he told her "Well then...rest up. The sooner your better, the sooner you can be out of our quiet little town" Cass said to him, "Well I got to go" she added and then smiled as she went out of the room.

Cass went back to the library and curled up in a corner with a book, trying to take her mind off what she had just happened, she often did this when she was upset or lonely. Suddenly she felt herself being thrust out of her concentration by loud heavy thuds outside, she frowned as she got up and hurried over to the door, she peered out. There were hundreds of people running and screaming up the street, she then caught sight of Snow and David and she rushed out and went over to them, "What going on?" she asked in panic, "Oh just a giant stomping around Storybrooke" David said, "Cass, what are you doing? We told you to stay at the flat" Snow said, "I was at the library" she called out before turning her head, she gasped as she saw they were right, there was a giant here, "Ever stopped one before?" David asked "Nope!" Snow called back "Well...here's to new firsts" David said before running a little closer to the giant, Cass stayed right beside Snow "Wait! You don't have to do this!" David called out "Yeah, I do!" the giant called back "You destroyed everything in my life! Now your going to know what that feels like!" he went on "The man who hurt you! That wasn't me!" David cried out to him "That was my twin brother James! We were...separated at birth! He was raised by a...ruthless king!" David explained to him "David has a twin?" Cass asked Snow quietly, "Yeah...explain later" she said "Your not James?" the giant asked "No!" David called back "Then where is he?" the giant asked "He paid the ultimate price for his arrogance! He's dead! There is nothing more you can do to him!" David explained, "We're on your side Anton!" Snow cried as she ran up to David, Cass went after her, followed by Leroy "We're good!" Snow added, "We're here because of you! You know our daughter Emma, you gave her the magic compass!" Snow added "Emma? Let me talk to her! She's says your okay then I'll stop!" Anton told them, Cass bit her lip slightly and glanced over at Snow and David "She's kinda out of town..." Snow said "Really?" Anton said doubtfully "But when she gets back I know she'll really want to talk to you!" Snow added "How convenient! Everyone I'm looking for isn't around!" Anton said firmly, "All you humans do is lie! And cheat! And kill! And I'm sick of it!" he cried out and began to stomp over to them, Cass gasped and Snow cried out and they all turned and started to run.

They ran as fast as they could, trying to get away from the giant "So let me get this straight. You got a twin brother?" Leroy asked David as they ran "Yeah!" David said "And his name is James?" Leroy asked "Right!" David said "But you name is James!" Leroy said "No, actually its not..." David told him "Charming then?" Leroy asked "No! That's the nickname I give him!" Snow called out "Well then what the hell is your name?" Leroy asked "David!" he told him "Your cursed name?" Leroy said "My real name!" David said, "Wait! Your David, James and Charming! What David like a middle name?!" Leroy asked "No! It's my name, name!" David said, "Could we discuss this some other time!" Cass cried out, almost running out of breath now, "You know what I'm going to call you whatever I damn well please! That okay!" Leroy cried "Sure Leroy!" David said as they all sped up, "So what's the plan?" Cass called out "Lead the giant away from here so he won't hurt anyone!" David told them, "Wait if we keep heading in this direction we're going to hit the town line!" Snow cried out, "Okay! New plan!" David said as they all stopped just before the docks, David then turned towards the giant, "What are you doing?" Snow asked worriedly, "Giving him what he wants!" David said "Anton! How about we make a deal!" David called out "I don't make deals with humans!" Anton retorted back "Just hear me out!" David said "I'll surrender myself to you...if you spare the lives of everyone in Storybrooke!" David told him "David...you can't do that..." Snow cried worriedly to him, "If I don't! Then the whole town will suffer...I can't allow that..." he said to her and then turned back to Anton, "Well, what do you say?" David called out, there was a moments silence while Anton considered, "Deal!" he said firmly and then rushed over towards them and lifted his huge foot to stamp on David, Snow instantly pulled David out of the way and Anton fell into the ground, creating an earthquake and rubble flying everywhere, Cass gasped as she felt herself being forced backwards, she then looked over to see Anton stuck in the ground, suddenly a cloud of blue smoke formed around him and next minute he vanished, "Where did he go?" Cass asked confused "I'm not sure..." David said, they all got to their feet and slowly went over to the large hole in the ground, as they looked over Cass clapped her hand to her mouth and gasped, Anton was now normal size and was hanging from a broken pipe in the hole, "We gotta get help!" Cass cried to them, "Alright! I'm going to get the truck! Leroy, go get some rope" David said as he and Leroy both rushed off, "Hang on Anton!" Cass cried down to him "We're going to get you out of there!"

David soon arrived with the truck and Leroy came running over with a long piece of rope, "It better hold!" David said, "It'll hold!" Leroy said as more of the towns people came over to help, Granny was at the back of the truck, "I got it" she said to Leroy and took the rope from him and hooked it up to the back of the truck, David then walked over to the hole, once Granny had tied the rope, a group of the crowd including Cass all held onto it and Leroy threw the loose end of the rope down the hole, David looked down and then Snow took hold of him and kissed him "Most people would let that giant die after what he's done..." Snow told him "You wouldn't..." David said he then picked up the rope and held it behind him like a seat and then began to lower himself down the hole, "Right Anton! Coming down!" he called to him, they all kept a tight hold of the rope as David lowered himself down, he reached Anton and held out his hand "Take my hand..." he told him "No!" Anton said firmly "No?" David called back "I don't wanna go back up there! I should just let go!" Anton told him "You'll die!" David told him "Maybe death hurts less than life!" Anton retorted back "If you really wanted to die...you would of let go already..." David told him "Now take my hand!" he added a little more firmly. Nothing happened for a moment and then they felt a little extra weight on the rope, which meant Anton, had grabbed hold of David's hand, they all began to pull them up, "Almost! A little more!" Snow called out, they pulled as hard as they could, finally they saw a hand reached the top and Leroy and Cass moved closer to help Anton up, David then came up after him and Snow and Leroy helped him, Snow hugged David tightly as soon as they had got him up, David then knelt down beside Anton "You saved my life..." Anton said, "That's what we do!" Snow told him as she knelt down also, "Thank you..." Anton said gratefully, "Your welcome, we're not all the same Anton. I don't know what my brother did to you but...that's not us..." David told him, "You've no idea..." Anton told him, "Well, who's up for a drink back at Granny's?" Cass said to them, everyone agreed, they helped Anton to his feet and headed back into town.

They got to Granny's and went in, "And this is Granny's!" Leroy told Anton"She makes a mean lasagne and runs an Inn, so I'm sure we can set you up with a room until you find a place" he explained "Thanks...but I think I'll set up a camp in the woods..." Anton told them, "In the woods?" Leroy asked "Yeah...I'm better off alone..." Anton said "I'm not to good with fitting in" he added, "Your in the right place!" Cass told him, "Storybrookes got all kinds; dwarfs, fairies, werewolf's, spawns of the dark one. You name it" Leroy said "Hey! Leave me out of this!" Cass smirked as she went and sat up at the counter, "Ruby! Beers all around!" Leroy called out "We all miss our land Anton..." Snow told him "But this is our home now..." he added, "You never think about going back?" Anton asked, "Of course we do!" Snow said, "It's just not possible..." Cass added, "We have no way to get there..." David explained, "How's the farm land here?" Anton asked "Pretty good, why?" David said, Anton then took something out of his pocket and showed it to them "This stem is from a beanstalk" he told them "If I plant it...I should be able to grow some magic beans...then you just might have a way" Cass looked over at the tiny jar he had and marvelled for a moment at the idea but then had a sudden thought, what if her father had no intention of returning and of course her mother still had no memory, there was no way she was going away without them.

Later on after spending the rest of the day at Granny's, Cass was beginning to get tired, "Come on" Snow said to her as she saw the girl yawning, "Lets get you home, and promise you will not tell your father what happened today" Cass smirked slightly and nodded, she then got up and followed Snow out off the diner and over to the truck, Cass climbed in the back and Snow hovered at the window, "I'll be back in a second" she told her before heading back over to Granny's, Cass watched her go and then suddenly she felt a wave of tiredness wash over her, she laid her head down onto the seat and slowly closed her eyes and fell deep asleep.


	22. Chapter 22

Cass POV: Normal

 _Henry POV: Italics_

 _The cab pulled up at the side of the road, Henry climbed out and stood on the pavement with Mr Gold and Emma, looking up at the apartment building in front of them, "What's wrong?" Emma asked and Henry looked round at them, "This the right place?" Emma asked Mr Gold "Yes it is" he said simply, "Let me guess, he's not expecting you..." Emma said, Mr Gold looked at her but said nothing, "Well who doesn't love a surprise..." Emma said and she walked on up to the building, Henry followed after her._ _They got into the building and Henry went over to examine the buzzers "No Baelfire..." he told them as he looked down the list of names on the wall, "Yeah that probably wouldn't fly as an alias" Emma said, Henry then looked round towards the mail boxes and went over to examine them, "Your magic globe didn't give you an apartment number?" Emma asked Mr Gold, "It doesn't work that way" he replied simply, "Do any of these names mean anything to you?" Henry asked him, "Well names are what a traffic in, but sadly no" he told him, "Here's your boy!" Emma said, pointing to a buzzer on the wall, "Or it could just be vacant..." Mr Gold said, "You may traffic in names and magic, I traffic in finding people who don't want to be found and those sort of folks don't like to advertise their whereabouts" Emma told him and then pressed the buzzer, Henry came back over to them. There was a pause and then someone answered, "UPS package for 407" Emma spoke into the speaker, whoever was on the other line hung up immediately, "Maybe you should of said FED EX..." Henry said, sudden there was a sound from outside and they all turned to look towards the door "He's running..." Emma said and then sped out of the building, Henry and Mr Gold both followed and they caught sight of a figure climbing down the fire escape, "That favor you owe me! This is it! Get him to talk to me! I can't run!" Mr Gold shouted to Emma, "Watch Henry! I'll be back!" Emma told him and Henry watched as she ran up the street after the man._

Cass was finishing up in the library, she sorted out the last shelf and put all the books in order and then she turned and went out of the building, locking the door behind her, she then headed on along the street towards Granny's. She went into the diner and ordered a couple of hot coco's and grilled cheeses for herself and Snow, "You having these to go?" Ruby asked, Cass nodded "Yeah, thanks" she said, Ruby bagged up the toasties and placed the two coffee cups into a holder, Cass then paid for them and hurries out of the diner and towards the flat. 

_Henry watched Mr Gold closely, noticing he was looking slightly worried, "Don't worry. Emma's really good at catching people" he told him "Well my sons been running away for a long time now. I have a feeling he's equally adept at it" Mr Gold said, "Well...at least you found him...right?" Henry replied, "Indeed" Mr Gold said simply, "Oh and...thanks, for the hot dog. I forgot" Henry said, "You are quite welcome. And thank you" Mr Gold said, "For what?" Henry asked, Mr Gold began to walk up the street again, Henry followed as he eats his hot dog "Well, if it wasn't for you bringing Emma to Storybrooke. None of this would of come to pass" Mr Gold explained, "You, are a remarkable young man" he added, "Well...Cass did help...she managed to hack into the system so I could find Emma" Henry explained to him, "Well you both make quite the team" Mr Gold said, there was a pause for a moment before Henry spoke again "You know...I forgave her, Emma. For giving me up, she thought it was the best for me then, that's why she did it. I'm sure your son will get it too" Henry told him, "Alas, the circumstances involving our separation weren't quite so noble" Mr Gold told him, "But...your here now, and you want him back right?" Henry asked "More than anything..." Mr Gold said "Then that's all that matters" Henry said and smiled slightly at him, "You've been spending too much time with Cass" Mr Gold said to him "That's exactly the sort of thing she would say right now" Henry smiled "Well...we were pretty close" Henry told him "Indeed you were...and still are I gather" Mr Gold told him._

Cass arrived back at the flat to find Snow in the bedroom on the phone, Cass looked over at her as she went to the kitchen area and placed the bag of food and the cups onto the counter, "No matter what this man did, Henry has a right to know who his father is...the truth about your parents...Emma you of all people should know how important that is" Snow was saying over the phone and Cass frowned slightly as she listened, she hopped up onto one of the stools, "Are you sure this is about protecting Henry...and not yourself?" Snow went on, there was silence for a moment "Alright...bye" Snow said and then hung up and walked on over to the kitchen, "Hey!" she said brightly "What was that about?" Cass asked curiously as she began to unpack the lunches, she gave one of the grilled cheeses to Snow, "Well...good news is they found your fathers son" Snow told her and Cass smiled brightly "Really?" she said excitedly, "Yeah...but...he is also Henry's father..." Snow went on and Cass stared at her "Huh..." she said confused, "Your brother is Henry's father" Snow said again, "Oh...Kay..." Cass said, she was definitely not expecting that.

 _Henry and Mr Gold were back inside the building, they sat down on a bench by the gate that led to the upper floors, Henry glanced over at Mr Gold, noticing he was still looking worried and slightly nervous, Henry frowned as he watched him fiddling with one of his rings, "Why are you so nervous? When I found my mum I was excited" Henry asked him, "Because I have the benefit of a little more...life experience, I know that things don't always happen...the way we want them too" he replied simply, "Sure but...in my book it says you can see the future. Why can't you just look and see what's going to happen?" Henry asked him, "Well that abilities...complicated. I didn't always have it, and when I did...well...its maybe not the gift one would expect" Mr Gold explained, "Seeing the inevitable...can be a terrible price" he went on, "But you wouldn't have to worry about stuff...you'd just know" Henry said, "But that's the great trap. The future...is like a puzzle, with missing pieces, difficult to read and never, never what you think" Mr Gold replied, Henry nodded slightly showing he understood, "Something I never understood...in the book Cass never shows signs of magic...but...she would have though right...being your daughter" Henry asked curiously. There was silence then and Mr Gold looked ahead, suddenly looking a little guilty, "I'm afraid that was my doing..." he told him "I knew Cass would have magic but...back then I was more selfish...I was afraid she would become more powerful than myself...so a cast a charm to block out her magic. It would eventually wear off so I would keep casting it every so often just to make sure it stuck" Mr Gold explained, Henry thought for a moment "But...when she went missing...you wouldn't be able to do it then...so would that mean her magic came through?" he asked, "Possibly...but she wouldn't know how to use it, so it would come randomly until she learned how to control it" Mr Gold told him, Henry was about to say something else when the door to the building opened and they both looked round to see Emma come in, "Hey..." she said softly "Did you find him?" Mr Gold asked as they both stood up "I'm sorry...your son...got away..." Emma told him_

Cass was sat at the table with Snow and David as they tried to puzzle together the new revelations, "So...Rumplestiltskin is Henry's grandfather?" David said shocked, "Apparently" Snow replied, "But I'm his grandfather!" David said bluntly, "You can have more than one" Cass told him, "So...his...step grandmother...is Regina? The evil queen?" David said trying to work it out, "Actually his step great grandmother...and she's also his adoptive mother..." Snow told him, "So...is Emma like...my sister in law...?" Cass asked curiously, "I guess you could sorta say" David said, "So...Henry's my nephew and you guys are like my parent in laws...?" Cass went on, "Yeah...I guess" Snow said, "Its a good thing we don't have thanksgiving in our land, because that dinner would suck!" David said simply, "Or...maybe this will mellow everyone out!" Snow said hopefully, Cass looked up at her "The chances of that happening are zero to one" Cass said doubtfully.

 _Henry watched as Mr Gold turned to the door and began pressing every single buzzer, "Gold! Hey, what are you doing?" Emma exclaimed, he said nothing and continued to press the buzzers, eventually there was a loud buzzing sound and Mr Gold opened the door, "I'm finding my son!" he said simply "He's gone!" Emma cried out "But he lives here, he'll be back and I'll be waiting" Mr Gold replied simply and then turned and walked on into the building, Henry looked up at Emma and then they both hurried after Mr Gold, as they reached the door Emma hurried over to Mr Gold, "Stop! You can't just brake in!" Emma said firmly "Well actually that's something am quite adept at," he told her as he turned to the door and began to pick at the lock "He might not come back!" Emma said to him "Look, finding people is what you do Miss Swan, I'm simply going to assist you" Mr Gold replied simply, "There may be information in here; who he is, what he does, who he loves" Mr Gold went on, "Look, don't do this..." Emma said softly and urgently now "There are things called laws!" she added firmly, "I'll be look out!" Henry said and then he went back to the corner and watched for anyone coming, "You could get arrested!" Emma said more frantically now "Then my son will have to testify against me, and we will be reunited!" Mr Gold replied simply. At last the lock clicked and he opened the door, Henry looked over at them as Emma followed Mr Gold into the room and he hurried after her "Gold...Gold please we really shouldn't be here..." Emma said worriedly now "I don't think he's listening..." Henry told her, he then went to start searching through some lockers, "You found something dearie?" he heard Mr Gold asked, Henry didn't looked round, he just continued to search through the lockers "Nothing...it just looks like a dream catcher..." Emma said simply, Henry finally looked round and came over to Emma, "If its nothing, then why are you still holding it?" Mr Gold asked, Emma looked over at him but said nothing "Your lying to me!" Mr Gold said firmly now "Lets get back to looking, okay..." Emma said, as she hung the dream catcher up at the window, "No, no, no. You saw something, tell me!" Mr Gold said to her "You don't know what you're talking..." Emma began but then Mr Gold interrupted "Tell me!" Emma looked round at Henry, "Henry, go wait in the bathroom!" she said simply "But I can help..." Henry began, "Henry go!" Emma said sharply, Henry frowned curiously, wondering what on earth was happening but he did as Emma said and strolled on past Mr Gold and into the bathroom, closing the door behind him._

 _Henry sat on the edge of the bath tub, he could hear yelling coming from the other room but the walls were muffling out what was being said, he then frowned, thinking he could hear a third voice now and slowly he got up and went over to the door, he hesitated a moment before going out and edged his way over to the other room, "Mum! What's going on?..." he called out as he walked back into the room and over to Emma, "Who's this?" the third man asked, Henry looked over at him and frowned curiously, "My son..." Emma said simply "What?..." the man said surprised "Is that Baelfire?" Henry asked, pointing to the man, "I need you to stay in the other room for a little while longer" Emma told him gently, "Okay, come on" she began to lead him back out of the room, "How...how old are you?" the man asked curiously, "Don't answer him!" Emma warned, "How old are you kid?" the man asked again more loudly this time, Henry tore away from Emma and spun around, "Eleven!" Henry shouted back "Now, why is everyone yelling!" Henry added, still shouting, "He's eleven?" the man asked and looked at Emma "Mum?..." Henry said nervously now as he too looked over at Emma and then back at the man "Is this...my son?" he asked, still looking at Emma "No...My dad was a fireman...he...he died" Henry explained and then looked over at Emma again who came over to him "That's what you told me..." he said, "You said..." Henry then looked over at the man again "Is this...my son?" the man asked again looking at Emma, she continued to stare at Henry, tears in her eyes as she placed her hands on the side of his face, "Yes..." she whispered softly, Henry stared in shock at her and backed away slowly, he then frowned and turned around briskly and climbed out of the window and went to sit on the metal stairs, "Henry...?" he heard Emma call softly but he said nothing and continued to stare out at the street, "Henry?..." Emma said as she came over to him, "So...it's him?" Henry said bluntly to her "Yeah..." Emma replied as she stood in front of him with her hands on the hand rails, "Why didn't you tell me?" Henry asked her "Because I never thought I would see him again. I never wanted to..." Emma told him "Why not?" Henry asked "He was a thief Henry...a liar...a bad guy and he... broke my heart" Emma explained "I could of taken it you know! The truth!" Henry told her, "I know...it was just a part of my life...I wanted to forget..." Emma said, "That's why I didn't tell you..." Henry looked down at the ground for a moment and then back up "I was thinking of me not you..." Emma added, "I thought you were different...but you're just like her...Regina! She always lied to me too..." Henry told her, "I'm sorry..." Emma whispered softly, Henry stared at her for a moment, taking it all in "I wanna meet my dad" he said simply, Emma still stared at him sadly but she nodded, "I'll go see if Gold's finished talking to him..." Emma said and then turned slowly away and crawled back through the window, Henry then stood up and walked over to the railing and rested down on it, he glanced behind him to see Emma and the man who was his dad talking and then looked away again and stared out at the buildings around him, a few minutes later he heard someone climb out of the window but Henry continued to stare out at the street, then the man came over to his side and leaned down on the railing also, "So...your my dad...?" Henry said after a few minutes silence, "Yeah..." he said softly to him, Henry looked round "I'm Henry" he said, introducing himself, "It's nice to meet you Henry" the man said to him "I'm sorry it took so long..." he added, "That's okay...you didn't know..." Henry said and then smiled slightly at him, he then looked back out at the street, the man smiled back and gently rubbed Henry's back comfortingly_

The next day Cass awoke to the smell of bacon, she got up then walked over to the kitchen area and sat up on one of the stools to find David at the stove, "What are you doing?" Snow said as she came over, "Making breakfast" David said simply, "Why?" Snow asked him "Hungry" David replied simply again "You think I don't know what your doing?" Snow stated "We talked about this, we had a deal!" she added more firmly, "I know..." David said gently as he turned back to her "I know, but...with the curse broken, I thought maybe you would of changed your mind" he told her, Cass frowned slightly as she looked from one to the other "Well I didn't..." Snow said and then turned to walk away, she then stopped and stared at a box on the table "What's this?" she said with a sigh, "Birthday present" David said to her "No, I told you" Snow said "It's not from me!" David said, "No one else knows" Snow said simply, "Apparently someone does, and they also think you should celebrate" David said as he walked out of the kitchen and leaned on the counter, Cass spun around in her seat, "Today's your birthday?" she asked Snow, she nodded and looked round at the parcel, "It was left outside the door this morning" David told her, Snow then rolled her eyes and took hold of the present and began to open it. When she opened the box she stared in surprise at what was inside, "What is it?" David asked, Snow slowly reached in and Cass peered over to see what was in her hands. It appeared to be a small, dainty tiara, David then moved over to Snow "I thought that was lost when the curse hit..." he said softly "So did I..." Snow said, David gently took the tiara from her and Snow reached down to get the card, Cass came on over and looked closer at the gift, "It's beautiful" she said softly, she then looked up at Snow to see her reading a card with a snowdrop on the front, "Johanna..." Snow said softly, "I didn't know she was in Storybrooke..." David said, "Neither did I..." Snow said softly, "After the curse you were gone for a while...we're all still finding each other, it hasn't been easy..." David said, "Who is she?" Cass asked curiously, "Snow's hand maiden" David told her, "I have to go!" Snow said as she took the tiara from David again, "Hey, hey..." David said "Happy birthday" he said softly to her, they kissed and then Snow rushed to get her coat, "Thank you for understanding..." she said, Snow picked up her scarf and placed it on and David got her coat, "You should go, it's getting late, you've got to go to work" Snow said as David helped her on with her coat, "I know...I just...I just wish this day made you happier" David said, "I know. But we both know it can't..." Snow said, she then turned and hurried out of the flat, Cass walked over to David, "Why doesn't she like her birthday?" She asked him "It was the day her mother died" he told her, "Oh..." Cass said softly "Sorry..." David smiled slightly and looked round at her, "It's fine, it was long time ago, but...Snow's never been the same since" David said, Cass nodded slightly "So, what are you doing today?" he asked her "I'm gonna head to the library, it should be ready for opening any day now" she told him, "Well we look forward to when it does" David said and Cass smiled slightly, "Do you want something to eat before you go?" he asked, "It's fine" Cass said "I'll grab something after" she then turned towards the door, "See you later" she called back to him before heading out.

 _They were all walking down the street, Henry walked by his dad - Neal's side, "So...you like pizza?" he asked him, "Yeah! Let me guess, you're going to tell me the best pizzas in New York, and I gotta try it, right?" Henry replied, "Actually, its in the Kingdom of Damarion on the North Shore of the Dragon Fields of Zorn" Neal said, Henry frowned slightly at this, "Na, it's in New York! Here let's get you a slice" he said and led Henry into the pizza place, "So, you're really from there?" Henry asked, "Yeah, I am!" he replied as they walked in, Henry looked up at the menu and then up at Neal, "So...what do you recommend?" he asked him, "Well...I'd personally go with the New Yorker...its their special" he said, "Alright" Henry said. It took a few minutes to get to the front of the queue but when they did Neil ordered the pizzas, the slices were brought out almost instantly, they then went back out to join Emma and Mr Gold, "What are we talking about?" Neal asked them, "Emma?" Henry said as he stood in front of her "Neal wanted to show me the museum, do you think we could go back to the apartment and get my camera?" he asked her, Emma looked over at Neal "Its like culture...right?" he said "Sure...yeah that's fun. You like the New York pizza?" she said to him, "Yeah! Delicious, cheesy and doesn't lie!" Henry replied bluntly, then they all walked on along the street_

Cass was sorting out the back shelves in the library when she heard a knock on the door, frowning she hurried over to the front and found Snow and David outside looking slightly troubled, Cass went on over and opened the door, "What's going on?" she asked them curiously, "We've got a problem" David told her, "Regina's working with Cora. Their trying to track down your fathers dagger" he told her, Cass stared in shock at this "But...if they get that then..." Cass said fearfully, "They can control him..." Snow finished, "Or kill him!" Cass added, "Think, do you know where your father would hide it?" David asked her, Cass shook her head "I haven't even seen it in this world" she told them, "What about his shop? Would he keep it in there?" David asked her, Cass thought frantically, "I dunno...maybe...most of the time in the Enchanted Forest, he would have it on him all the time but...I don't see him taking it out of Storybrooke" Cass said, "So it must still be here" Snow said, "We need help...lets go see Mother Superior" David nodded and they rushed out again, Cass followed and locked the library door behind her and climbed into David's truck them the two of them.

 _As they walked back to Neal's apartment Henry ran further up to talk to Mr Gold, "So...should I call you Grandpa now?" he asked him, "Call me what ever you like..." Mr Gold said simply as he walked further away from the group, Henry frowned slightly, Henry then doubled back towards Emma and Neal, "So...Neal, do you think we could take the subway?" he asked him, "Yeah! Sure, of course" Neal said to him "Lets go get that camera" he added and Henry hurried off into the apartment building and Neal followed after him, they got to the and Henry stopped, "Come on!" he said excitedly, "Here I got it" Neal said as he opened the gate to the upper floors and they both hurried on through,_ _Henry and Neal both went into the apartment and Henry went to retrieve his camera from his bag._

 _Suddenly they heard a commotion coming from the front of the building, Henry looked over at the door and then at Neal, "Henry...stay here, okay" Neal told him and then rushed out to go see what was happening, Henry stood staring at the door, wondering what on earth was going on, then a few minutes later Neal came back in carrying a wounded Mr Gold, "What...what's going on?...What happened...?" Henry asked worriedly, Emma then came into the apartment "Found a storage room and locked our pirate in there" she announced, "He won't be causing anyone else any problems, and get this he had a map on him! Looks like he sailed his ship here!" Emma went on as she walked on over to Henry, "How do you get a pirate ship into New York?" Neal asked astounded, "It's cloaked...Henry...he's not going to hurt any of us" Emma said softly to him, seeing he was looking scared, "But, is Mr Gold going to be okay?" he asked worriedly, "Henry, he's gonna be fine" Neal told him and then hurried off to get something, Emma then went into the other room and Henry walked slowly over to Mr Gold, "Mr Gold...are you alright...?" he asked him, Mr Gold then grabbed hold of Henry's coat tightly, "Stay away from me!" he said firmly "You caused this! You brought us back here! You did this!" he said and then pushed Henry away again and Henry stood, scared and confused, "Hey kid?" Emma said as she came back into the room "The batteries dead, go into the other room and see if there's a charger, alright?" Emma said as he handed him the mobile "Okay" Henry said and then hurried off_

They drove in David's truck to the convent and then hurried out as soon as they stopped, Mother Superior was coming down the steps to meet them "Mother Superior?" Snow called "We need your help!" she said to her "I know...something's wrong, I sense a great deal of dark magic has been expelled" Mother Superior said worriedly, "That's why we're here" David said, "Cora and Regina are trying to find my fath...Rumplestiltskin's dagger!" Cass said urgently, "So they may control the dark one!" Mother Superior said, "We're hoping your magic will find the dagger first!" Snow said, Mother Superior looked shocked and afraid but she nodded "Please Mother Superior! Your our only hope!" Cass said desperately.

 _Henry got the phone up and running again and began to browse through the messages Emma had, he then came across one that made his heart leap fearfully, he then hurried back through to the other room "Emma! You need to see this!" he said worriedly, "What is it kid?" she asked, "A text from David and Mary Margaret, you need to read it! Now!" he told her as he handed the phone over and Emma read the text, "Bad news Gold!" Emma told him "What worse then incurable poison!" Mr Gold said, "I dunno you tell me, you got a dagger hidden somewhere in Storybrooke, that's the source of all your power?" Emma asked, "Get to your point!" Mr Gold said firmly, "Cora is after it! The only way to stop her is if David and Mary Margaret get to it first!" Emma told him, "Let Cora try!" Mr Gold said bluntly "You can't seriously be willing to risk this! Not with your son coming back with you to Storybrooke and Cass waiting for you there" Emma said, "Miss Swan! That dagger has not left my possession for centuries! It's not about to now!" Mr Gold told her, Henry glanced over at Emma and then she moved closer to Mr Gold and sat on the sofa, "Here's the thing!" Emma said and Henry went to sit on the coffee table "Your dying! And right now we are your best hope! Times come for you to start trusting someone! And if I were you, I'd start with family!" Emma said firmly_

They all stood outside Mr Gold's shop and Mother Superior readied her wand, she then pointed it at the door and tried to open it, but it back fired and burnt her hand, she gasped and dropped the wand, "He's cast a protection spell" she told them, "That's Papa..." Cass said as she rolled her eyes, "Well then we need to try something equally powerful!" Snow said "Dark magic?" David asked, "Dear...you don't know what your saying" Mother Superior said fearfully, "Cora can't get that dagger!" Snow said, "If dark magic is the only thing that can brake that protection spell, we need to make an exception and use it. Just like you told me once before" Snow said to Mother Superior, "I never told you any such thing..." she said confused "Look, I kept your secret..." Snow told her, Mother Superior just stared at her completely confused, suddenly David's phone rang, "Everybody hold on. Emma?...He never told you..." he said, Cass stared at him and then went over to David, "Give me the phone!" she said, in almost a demand, David frowned for a moment but handed the phone to Cass, "Emma? Put him on!" she said, there was silence for a moment and then her fathers voice came on the other end, he sounded almost shaky, "Papa?" she said getting straight to her point, "You need to tell us where you hid the dagger! Please papa! If Cora and Regina get to it first, then who knows what their planning to do! Please papa, tell us so we can get to it and keep it safe for you! I've already lost my mother I don't want to lose you too..." Cass pleaded with him, there was silence, in which time Rumple breathed heavily down the phone, "Papa...are you alright?" she asked him, "I'm...fine Cass" he said through heavy breaths, "The clock tower...in the hands...you'll find the dagger in there" he told her, Cass smiled brightly and looked up at the clock "Thank you Papa! I love you!" she said "I love you too..." he replied, Cass then hung up and rushed off towards the clock tower, David and Snow hurried after her.

Cass sped up the stairs to the very top of the tower and stopped beside the clock face, David and Snow were right behind her, Cass then took off one of the panels and looked into the face of the clock "It's here!" she cried and then gently eased the dagger out from the hands of the clock "Clever hiding place for a very clever man" David said, Cass got the dagger out and stared transfixed at it "I never thought I'd see this again" she said softly, Snow then took it from Cass and examined it closely, "We did!" Snow said, "The dark one can finally be controlled" David said and Cass frowned at him "Indeed he can be" came Cora's voice and they all looked over to see Cora and Regina appear in a puff of smoke "But by whom?" Cora said simply, "Cora..." Cass said fearfully, "Your too late!" David said firmly, "Actually, it seems we found you just in time" Cora said, "I told you to pick your side carefully!" Snow said to Regina "Good has won! Just as it always does!" she added, Cora then laughed, "I think the day has finally come my darling Snow, for you to learn a long over due lesson" Cora said, she then waved her hand and suddenly a women appeared between her and Regina, "Johanna!" Snow cried, Cass stared at the women and then looked at Cora and frowned "You see in the end it isn't good or evil that wins! But power!" Cora said, Regina then forced her hand into Johanna's chest and pulled out her heart, "No!" Cass cried fearfully, "Your choice!" Regina said simply, Cass stared between them all and then looked down at the dagger in Snows hand, "Do not harm her! She has nothing to do with this!" Snow said firmly, "Of course she does!" Cora said brightly, "No Snow, don't give it to them!" Johanna said frantically, "Quiet, hand maid!" Cora demanded, David then whipped out his gun, "Mother, watch out!" Regina said and Cora waved her hand and the gun flew out of David's hand and away down to the bottom of the tower, Cass was trying with all her might to conjure up some magic but she was feeling to worried to perform anything, Regina then squeezed the heart and Johanna gasped in pain, "Enough of this! Surrender the dagger!" Cora said, "We all know you'll follow your mothers example no matter the cost. All she ever wanted was for you to be good!" Cora said to Snow, "Those words...where did you hear those words?" Snow said curiously, "Where do you think?" Cora whispered back "The blue fairy made me swear never to speak of the candle again...not because it was a secret, because it wasn't her!" Snow said with realization in her voice, "The dagger dear" Cora said, holding out her hand, "She didn't give me that candle! You did! My mother wasn't sick at all was she?..." Snow said, "Oh she was quite sick" Cora said with a smirk and Cass frowned as she looked from Snow to Cora, "You did...all this! You killed my mother!" Snow said in shock, "Actually...the candle would of work, you could of saved her" Cora told her "But you knew I wouldn't! Why? Why did you take her from me?" Snow demanded, "To make my daughter the queen!" Cora said simply, Cass frowned in shock now, she looked over at Regina, how could she not see how twisted Cora is! "Hand over the dagger!" Regina said firmly, "No! No! I will not let you win! Not again!" Snow said firmly, "You already lost your mother, how many connections to her do you have left, not many I'd wager" Cora said simply, "If we give up the dagger, we can still win!" David said to Snow, "Let me go Snow, it's alright..." Johanna told her, Regina then squeezed the heart again and she groaned in pain, "What would she say if she could see you now" Cora said, "If she wasn't dead!" Cass looked over at Snow and then down at the dagger again still trying to conjure up some magic but nothing was coming, "The dagger dear" Cora said again, holding out her hand once more, "Enough!" Snow cried as she threw the dagger onto the ground and fell to her knees, Cass threw her hand to her mouth and watched as Cora waved her hand and the dagger shot up into her hand, "Such a good girl" Cora said mockingly, "You have what you came for..." Snow said weakly, Cora looked at Regina and then Cass watched as Johanna's heart was placed back into her chest, Snow then got up and reached over to Johanna to comfort her, Cass watched them and then looked over at Cora, "Not quite everything!" she said and then waved her hand and sent Johanna soaring out of the clock face, Cass gasped and all three of them rushed over to the broken glass to see Johanna lying motionless on the ground, Snow then broke down into tears and David comforted her, Cass then looked over at Cora "You didn't need to do that!" she cried to her firmly, "You certainly have your fathers temper dear" Cora said smugly, "Well there you go!" Regina said simply, "You see where good gets you!" Cass frowned, "Henry will never love you like this Regina! Do you really think this is going to win him over?" Regina said nothing and instantly both she and Cora disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, Cass frowned, then she knelt down beside Snow and David and hugged Snow, David had one arm around Snow and put the other over Cass.


	23. Chapter 23

Cass woke early next morning, long before David and Snow were up, she got dressed as quietly as she could and then crept over to the door, trying not to make a sound, "Where are you off to this early?" came David's voice behind her, Cass stopped and made a face, then putting on a smile as she spun round, "I was...gonna head to the library...to get an early start" she told him, he scowled slightly, "You don't have to lie Cass and you certainly don't have to sneak around" he told her, "I wasn't lying" she said convincingly "I just didn't want to wake you guys up" David scowled still but then nodded, "Alright. Go on then, but don't be late" he told her, Cass nodded and hurried out of the flat and down the stairs. Once she was out of the building she began heading along the road, not in the direction of the library but towards the woods.

She found a small clearing in the woods and decided this would be perfect, she took a deep breath as she readied herself "Okay Cass...you can do this, you've done it before" she told herself out loud, she then looked around for something to focus on and saw a twig lying close by, then she raised her arm, focusing on the twig, she twitched her hand slightly trying to make the twig move. She had decided to start with the simple magic first. Nothing happened and she groaned in frustration, it was like starting all over again, why was it so difficult? Cass sighed as she readied herself once more and tried again.

She repeated this sequence almost hundred times and still the twig lay motionless on the ground, Cass was getting to the stage where she just wanted to hit something, she sat down on the ground for a moment, taking a break and she began to think back to what she did last time. She remembered Cora telling her something about having to take all your anger and drive it out, but then Cass remembered this having no effect, she then thought about the way she had cleared her mind and thought of nothing else but the one thing she wanted to do. Cass stood up again and stared intently at the stick and then slowly raised her hand, keeping her mind blank, she then gave her hand a tiny twitch and...result! The twig moved an inch to the right, Cass smirked and then tried again, yes! The stick moved another couple of inches, she tried once again and this time the twig lifted off the ground and it flew away and hit of a nearby tree, Cass smiled brightly, 'Well...it was a start' she thought, Cass then took her mobile out of her pocket and gasped noticing it was almost Noon, she had been here for hours!

She arrived back in town and headed straight to Granny's to grab a bite to eat. As she was walking up to the door she caught an earshot of the conversation Leroy and another dwarf were having, "Hear about the dark one? Apparently he's not looking good. Poison I hear" Leroy was saying, Cass stopped abruptly and stared in shock, she turned her head, "Wait! What was that?" she asked and Leroy turned to face her "He's wounded bad, got poisoned" he told her, Cass stared opened mouthed, "Where...where is he...is he here?..." she asked worriedly, "His shop I think" Leroy told her. Forgetting about food Cass sprinted straight passed the two dwarves and ran full pelt towards her fathers shop.

She got to the shop and pulled on the handle of the door finding it locked, she then hammered on it, "Let me in!" she cried, the door was opened by Emma, "What's happened? Where is he?" Cass exclaimed, "Okay...calm down kid" Emma told her gently, she stood aside and Cass came in, "Who's this?" said a voice and Cass looked over and saw a man standing close by, she frowned curiously at him, she'd never seen him before "Neal, this is Cass, Cass this is Neil...or Baelfire..." Emma introduced them, Cass stared wide eyed at him, "Your...Rumples son?" she asked him curiously, "Yeah..." he said uneasy, he then stared at her for a moment as if he was really taking her in, "Who...who are you?" he asked, "He...he never mentioned..." Cass began and then tailed off, just then David came in from through the back room, "We're all clear outside..." he told them and then noticed they were all looking uneasy "Everything okay?" David asked, "Yeah..." Emma said, Cass kept her eyes on the floor now, feeling a little awkward, "Should he of said something..." Neal asked, Cass then glanced up slightly "I'm...your sister..." she said quietly, Neal stared wide eyed at this and Cass went back to looking at the floor, "Wait...what?..." Neal said, sounding shocked this time, he then went through to the back room, Cass watched him go, she looked round at Emma who was kneeling down on the floor, seeming like she was drawing on the ground, Cass then looked towards the back room and then slowly went through, "How could you not tell me?" Neil was saying in a raised voice, Cass stood by the door way and looked over at her father sitting on the small bed, Rumple caught sight of her and then signalled her over, Cass rushed over to him and then sat down on the bed beside him, "What happened?" she asked, "Hook! He found us in New York..." Rumple explained in a rather weak voice, Emma came through the back, "I drew the invisible line...I think" Emma told Rumple, "What now? You cast a protection spell?" Emma asked, "No, no. Your gonna do that for me" Rumple told her, "I'm relaying on you..." he added briskly, "I can't cast a spell! I can spell, spell" Emma said simply, "You can...it's in you..." Rumple said, he then half lay down on the bed and Cass moved over a little to give him room, "How...here...like from my brain?" Emma asked confused "Just try!" Rumple said firmly but weakly, Cass looked over at Emma and watched as she closed her eyes, "Stop thinking!" Rumple said firmly, "Conjuring magic! Is not, intellectual endeavour! It's emotion!" Rumple explained, "You must ask yourself, why am I doing this? Who am I protecting? Feel it!" Cass looked at Rumple as he explained and then looked back at Emma as she turned around. Nothing happened for a moment and then Cass felt a wave rush through her, "You did it!" Cass said brightly "You feel it?" Rumple said to her, "I think I did..." Emma said as she turned back, a surprised look on her face "Good girl..." Rumple said as he fell back onto the bed, Cass moved off the bed and sat down on he floor beside him.

Suddenly the ground started to shake, like an earthquake was happening, "What's that?" Cass cried out, David then came rushing through from the front of the shop "It's them! Regina and Cora!" he cried, as he handed Emma a sword, "Their here!" he then hurried back through to the front, Neal and Emma followed him, Cass made to get up but Rumple took hold of her gently, "No Cass...it's...to dangerous..." he told her, his voice growing weaker all the time, "But I can help!" she told him, "No! Your to stay here!" he said a little more firmly, Cass sat back down on the ground, she looked over towards the doorway, watching anxiously. Eventually Neal and Emma came running back through and Emma knelt down at the doorway and drew another line on the floor, instantly a protection spell was placed around the room, Emma's phone rang and she answered it, "David?..." she said, "For now...got the spell in the back room" she said, "She's not with you?..." Emma said fearfully, Cass frowned as she looked over at Emma as she hung up the phone looking puzzled, "What's wrong?" Cass asked, "We can't find Mary Margaret..." she said, Cass frowned in both puzzlement and worry.

They all looked over towards the doorway as Cora began breaking the protection spell, Neal had his sword out at the ready, "It's getting weaker..." he told them, "She's going get through..." Cass said worriedly "Maybe its for the best...at least the cursed power will pass from this world" Rumple said weakly, Cass looked round at him and took his hand, "No! No you're not dying!" Neal said, as he sat down in the seat above Cass, "I am dying...that much is certain" Rumple told them, "There has to be something we can do..." Cass said to him, "No...there's not..." Rumple told her and he squeezed her hand lightly, "I need to talk to Belle...Emma please..." he said holding out his hand and Emma took out her mobile and handed it to him, "Who's Belle?" Neal asked, "Your dads girlfriend" Emma told him, "My mother" Cass added as she looked round at Neal and then back at Rumple as he dialed the number and put the phone to his ear, Cass continued to hold her father's hand lightly, "It's...Mr Gold" Rumple began, "I...I know...It's just...sweetheart I'm...I'm dying..." he said, "I know that your...confused about who you are, so I am going to tell you. You are a hero, who helped your people. Your a beautiful women...who loved an ugly man...really, really loved me. You find goodness in others...and when it's not there...you create it! You make me want to go back...back to the best version of me. And that never happened before...so when you look in the mirror...and you don't know who you are...that's who you are!" Cass felt the tears running down her cheeks, she quickly wiped them away with her other hand, "Thank you...Belle..." Rumple whispered softly, he then hung up and let his arm drop onto the bed, Cass sniffed slightly as she wiped her eyes again, Rumple then squeezed her hand gently and she tried to put on a smile, "Didn't know you had that in you..." Neal said softly "Oh I'm full of love..." Rumple told him "I spent a life time...looking for you..." he went on, Cass looked over at Neal again "For a chance to say I love you..." Neal said nothing, only glanced over at Rumple, "And I'm sorry..." Rumple finished, Cass continued to look between Rumple and Neal "I didn't think you'd go back on our deal..." Neal said, "I just made the wrong choice..." Rumple explained, he then extended his free hand to Neal, "May I...?" he asked him, "I'm still angry..." Neal told him "I know..." Rumple said softly, Cass looked up at Neal, he just sat there for a few moments with his back turned slightly, then he brought his hand over and took hold of Rumples, then leaned over towards the bed and rested his head on top of the hands, Cass smiled slightly as she continued to hold her father's other hand and then slowly and softly she leaned her head against Neal.

Suddenly there was a load crash, as the spell around the room broke, Neal and Emma both stood up readied their weapons, Cass stayed down on the ground beside Rumple, watching fearfully as Cora walked into the room, "You two! Out of the way!" she said simply and waved her hand, instantly Neal and Emma both disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke, Cass gasped and then frowned, Cora was not going to get away with this, Cass then stood up and just as Cora was about to cast another spell, Cass raised her hands and a force of white light shot from her, sending Cora backwards. It wasn't strong enough to knock her over but just to startle her, Cora smirked "You've been practicing dear" she said smugly "But still not good enough!" she then waved her hand and Cass felt herself being bound, she toppled over and fell onto her side, she watched as Cora walked over to Rumple, "A vision told me about you...told me this day would come..." Rumple said to her, "But it didn't tell me everything...didn't tell me what I really wanted to know" Cass struggled against her bonds as she watched Cora sit down on the edge of the bed, "And what's that?" Cora asked him "Did you ever love me?..." Rumple said firmly, Cass stopped struggling now and stared at them both, "Why do you think I had to rip my own heart out?" Cora said to him, she then reached over and stroked Rumple hair back from his face, "You were my weakness. Your the only man I ever truly loved" Cora told him "Send Cass away..." he told her, "Oh no dear Rumple, I think one of your children should see their father die" Cora said as she stood up and raised the dagger above her head.

Suddenly Cora gave a gasp and dropped the dagger onto the floor, Cass frowned slightly as she felt the bonds on her slip away, she then shuffled over and grabbed hold of the dagger before Cora could get it again, that's when she saw Regina standing behind Cora, Cass watched as Cora held her hand over her chest, she then looked round at Regina and smiled brightly, "Mother!" Regina said happily and Cora laughed joyfully, Cass then moved closer over to Rumple and looked up at him, to her astonishment she found his wound was completely healed, Cass frowned "What...?" she said confused, she then looked back round at the others and saw Cora begin to wince in pain, she then lifted her jacket to reveal a wound exactly like Rumple had, Cora then fell to the floor and Regina bent down to catch her "Mother?..." she said fearfully, Cass looked down at the dagger in her hands and saw the name 'Rumplestiltskin' was in full, she then looked back at Regina and Cora, "Mother...what's wrong?..." Regina said "This...would of been enough..." Cora said weakly and then looked at Regina "You...you would of been enough..." and then Cora closed her eyes and drew her last breath, "Mother?..." Regina said, she then spun her head round to look at Rumple who was on his feet, standing beside Cass "What's going on?..." she asked frantically, "Mother..." she said as she shook Cora "Don't leave me please..." Cass watched Regina sadly, as much as she hated Cora, she did feel sympathy for Regina, "What am I gonna do...?" Regina said as she hugged her mother's body, "Your mother did you no favors" Rumple said simply to her, "Shut up!" Regina said firmly, "You stole her life! You cast some spell..." Cass looked at Rumple and then back at Regina, "I did nothing..." Rumple told her. Suddenly Snow's voice came yelling out from through in the shop, "REGINA! STOP!" she cried as she came running in and then stopped dead when she saw Cora lying in Regina's arms, "You did this!" Regina said coldly to Snow; Cass looked over at Snow and David and saw a mixture of shock, guilt and horror on Snow's face.

Cass then felt Rumple put his arm around her and he led her back through to the shop, Cass was still in complete shock at what had just happened, "Are you alright Cass?" he asked her softly, Cass nodded slightly, still a little dazed, Rumple hugged her lightly and she put one arm around him, "Did...did you know...what Snow was going to do...did you put her up to it?" she asked him, Rumple said nothing as he withdrew from the hug and then reached out his hand to take the dagger from her, Cass however moved her hand away and stepped back slightly, she stared up at Rumple, "Cass?..." he said puzzled, Cass said nothing for a moment and she looked down at the dagger in her hand, thinking for a moment, she then looked up at Rumple again and held the dagger up in front of her, "Cass...what are you doing...?" he said, "For once in my life Papa, I'm going to ask you something...and this time your going to tell me the truth!" she told him, Rumple looked at her worriedly but Cass did not weaver, "Did you know...did you know that I had magic?" she asked him, "I want the truth!" Rumple stared at her for a moment, he then sighed and nodded slowly, "Why did it never emerge before?" she asked him, Rumple looked away from her now, "Tell me?" Cass said a little firmly, "Because of me...I stopped you from gaining your magic...with a spell" he told her, Cass stared over at him firmly and then felt tears stream down her face, "Cass...please..." Rumple said softly, "I don't even have to ask why, do I? You had to make sure you stayed the one with the most power! Didn't you?" Cass said, Rumple nodded "Yes...I'm sorry Cass..." he said to her, Cass looked away from him and said nothing for a moment and just let the tears roll down her cheeks, she then threw the dagger onto the ground and it landed point up in the floor, "Fine! At least now I know the truth! The thing you love most is your power! Take it then!" Cass said and then turned around sharply and headed to the door, "CASS!" Rumple shouted to her, Cass turned when she got to the door, "You didn't have to worry about me becoming more powerful, I never wanted to use magic! Because I've seen what it does to people, you especially, and I never want to end up like that!" Cass said firmly, she then opened the door, "Cass, please..." Rumple pleaded now but Cass didn't listen, she turned her head away and strolled out of the shop, slamming the door behind her.


	24. Chapter 24

Cass POV: Normal

 _Past Storybrooke: Italics_

Cass was sitting outside granny's hugging herself against the cold as she continued to think back over what had happened and what she had done. She soon became aware of how light it was getting and realized that she had been out here all night, she then heard a voice behind her and she glanced round to see Neal walking over, he sat down in the seat beside her, "Hey..." he said softly, Cass stayed silent and just continued to hugged herself from the cold, Neal took off his coat and wrapped it around her "You been out here all night?" he asked her, Cass just nodded, still not looking at him, "I heard about...what happened" he went on "So...you used the dagger on him?" Cass still said nothing but she felt a warm tear run down her cheek, Neal then put his arm around her gently and hugged her, "Hey...it's alright" he told her "I'm sure you had your reasons" Cass leaned her head against Neal and sobbed quietly,"Why...why is he like that...?" she said through her tears, "It's just the way that he is" Neal told her "There's nothing we can do about it" Cass finally looked up at him, her eyes red and wet from her tears "I just...I never thought he would lie to me...all my life I believed everything he told me...and now...it's impossible to know what was true and what was a lie..." Cass told him, Neal continued to hug her gently, "I know...I know how you feel..." he said to her. There was silence for a moment and then Neal stood up, "Come on" he said as he held out his hand for her "I'll get you some breakfast. Besides it's warmer inside" Cass looked up at him, she sat there for a moment and then took his hand and they both walked into Granny's, Neal went over to the counter, "Go sit down, I'll order some food" he told her, Cass nodded, still keeping Neal's jacket wrapped around her shoulders, she headed over to one of the booths, Neal came over a few minutes later and sat down opposite her, "So...think you'll go see him later?" Neal asked her, Cass looked down at the table, she shrugged "What I did...I suppose he'll be angry with me..." she said, "Hey...look at me" Neal said and Cass looked up, "No matter what you did, I'm sure he could never be angry at you, trust me" he smiled slightly at her and Cass gave a small smile back, "But if you don't go and see him and you have nowhere to sleep tonight, I'll talk to Granny into getting you a room at the Bed and Breakfast" he told her, she smiled gratefully at him, Ruby then came over with their food and they both began to eat.

 _The girl was lurking outside the general store, waiting for the right moment to go in. She couldn't go when it was too busy, but then if it was too quiet she wouldn't be able to do what she had to do, she watched as someone came out and then slowly and casually she wandered on over to the door and in, she gave a quick smile to the man behind the counter, trying to act as normal as she could and then went to wander around the aisles and pretended to be looking at something, after a moment she glanced over at the counter and saw the owner go off to help someone, slowly she reached out and picked up a small packet of crisps and made to slip it into her pocket, "Hey there" came a voice behind her and the girl stopped what she was doing and dropped the packet onto the floor, she spun round. There stood a small boy behind her, he looked around nine or ten, he was wearing a pom-pom hat and a red jacket and he smiled up at the girl, he then bent down and picked up the packet the girl had dropped "Here you go" he said, the girl said nothing and took the packet from him, "I'm Owen, what's your name?" he asked her, once again the girl said nothing, she then shoved the packet back onto the shelf, "I've got to go!" she said and then without another word she spun round and hurried back out of the store and up the road._

It was almost mid day and Cass was still sitting in Granny's with Neal. They talked and laughed and joked the whole time, Cass now felt like she had someone she could really to talk too, "Are you going to stay here?" she asked him curiously, Neal said nothing for a moment and sighed slightly, "I dunno...I mean, I have a life back in New York...it'll be hard to leave there" he told her, "But...your families here" Cass said, Neal opened his mouth to answer when suddenly his phone rang and he took it out of his pocket, "It's Emma" he said, checking the caller ID and then answered, "Hey" he said into the phone, Cass watched Neal as he spoke into the phone, "Alright...I'm at Granny's...okay bring him over" he said, Cass frowned curiously and Neal hung up "Emma's bringing Henry round, she's thinks it's dangerous right now for him to be here. Wants me to take him to New York" he explained "Why...what's happening?" she asked him, "Regina...she's gonna cast some kind of spell that will make him love her" Cass frowned "But...it wouldn't be real...she must know that" Cass said, Neal just shrugged "That obviously doesn't matter to her" he replied.

A few minutes later the door opened and Henry came in with Emma, "Why did you bring me here...I don't want to talk to you..." Henry was saying as Emma guided him over to the booth Cass and Neal were at "You don't have to" Emma said, "Hey buddy! Saved you a seat" Neal said to him, "Hey Henry" Cass added, "I'm gonna get a coffee" Emma said and then she went over to the counter, "Yeah!" Neal said, Cass then got up from the table, "I'll leave you two to talk" she told them as Henry went to sit down in the booth, "Sure" Neal said, Cass and then turned to walk out of the diner, "Hey Cass!" Neal called and she looked back at him "Go speak to him" he told her, Cass sighed slightly "Maybe..." she said and then walked to the door and out. As Cass walked down the path she began to contemplate going to see her father, suddenly she ran right into someone, "Oh sorry..." she said as she looked up to see that guy Greg, "I'm sorry...I wasn't looking" she told him "Not a problem" he told her, "You okay?" he added, Cass nodded "Yeah...just...a lot going on. You look better..." she told him, "Yeah! Going on a hike, Doctor has told me I have to get my strength up" he explained, Cass nodded "Well...enjoy" she said and then carried on walking.

After walking around for a while, Cass finally decided to go visit Snow, she knew how Snow must be feeling right now after what she had done and thought she would maybe like some company. Cass got to the apartment building and hurried on up to the flat, and knocked on the door then waited. A few minutes later the door was opened, but it was not Snow who answered or even David. It was her father. Cass stood stock still as she stared at Rumple, "Cass?" he said softly "Where have you been...?" he asked her, Cass ignored this question "I just came to see Snow...but it looks like it's a bad time..." she said and then turned to leave, "Cass, wait!" Rumple said, Cass stopped where she was but kept her back facing Rumple, "Please Cass...can we talk...?" he asked, Cass said nothing for a moment and sighed to herself "Not now..." she said sadly and then hurried back down the stairs, ignoring Rumple who was calling after her, she then rushed out of the building and along the street, she then spotted Emma, Neal and David running along the road, she frowned and sped up to them, "Hey! What's happening?" she asked them, they all spun round to face her and it was David who spoke up, "Cass! You have magic, you'll know where the point it all comes from is" he said to her, Cass continued to frown, "Wait...what?" she asked confused, "Henry...he's going to try destroy magic" Emma explained, "We need to know where he would go" Cass still frowned as she tried to think, "I...I'm not sure...I suppose there's the Well" she told them "Its said to have magical properties...it might all come from there" they all looked at each and then at once hurried along the road again towards the wood, Cass ran after them. As they entered the woods, Cass decided to take a different route in order to cover more ground, she ran as fast as he could through the trees, someone stepped out of the trees ahead of her and she screamed in fright, coming to a sudden stop "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to startle you" it was that guy Greg, "It's fine..." Cass said, trying to catch her breath, "Have you seen a boy anywhere, about so high, 11 years old, brown hair, possibly carrying a backpack?" Cass asked him, "Yes" Greg told her "He ran off that way" he said pointing behind him "Seemed to be in an awful hurry and looked a little agitated" Cass looked up ahead "Thank you!" she said hurriedly and then sped off again at full speed.

She finally made it to the Well just as Henry took out a stick of dynamite from his bag, "Henry?" Cass cried as she stopped beside him, Henry turned to face her "Please Henry...you can't do this...not this way, it won't work..." she explained to him, "I have to try! I have to destroy magic! It's ruining everything!" he told her as he placed the dynamite onto the Well and took out a box of matches, "Henry?" came a voice from behind and both Cass and Henry turned to see Regina, she walked slowly over with her hands raised slightly "What are you doing?" Regina asked gently "I'm getting rid of magic!" Henry told her firmly, "It's ruining everything, and you can't stop me!" he went to light a match, "Henry..." Cass began, "All that's going to do is get you killed!" Regina told him "You say that because you need magic! So you can cast that curse on me!" Henry retorted back, he lit the match and brought it over to the dynamite, but just before it lit Regina waved her hand and the dynamite vanished, Henry dropped the match, "I can't lose you Henry" Regina explained as she walked over to him, Cass stood beside Henry "You mean too much to me" Regina went on "Then don't cast the curse! Don't kill Mary Margaret!" Henry said, Cass frowned and looked from Henry to Regina, "What...?" she said confused "Henry! She has to pay!" Regina said simply "The curse won't make Henry love you for real, Regina!" Cass told her, "But it will be something" Regina said "I know it's hard for you to understand right now Henry, but you'll see, we can be happy. We can have everything!" she added, placing her hand on Henry's chin and she bent down to his level, "Not like this..." Henry said as he back away from Regina, Cass then put her arm around him gently.

Suddenly they heard Emma's voice cry out "Hey, Regina! Get away from my son!" Regina spun round and Cass watched as Emma, David and Neal stopped at the edge of the trees, "He's not yours, he's mine! And after I cast this, you'll never see him again" Regina said firmly, Cass kept her arm around Henry "That's never gonna happen!" David said firmly, "If you wanna kill Mary Margaret, you're gonna have to go through us!" Emma said to her, "Okay!" Regina said simply and instantly created a fireball in her hand, "No!" Cass cried out, David then got out his gun and pointed it at Regina, Henry tore away from Cass and went between them all, "STOP!" he cried, "Henry!" Cass exclaimed fearfully, "Henry! Get out the way!" Neal cried out, "Not until someone helps me destroy magic!" Henry cried, Cass then hurried over to Henry and looked round at Regina, ready to use her own magic if needed, "There's no way to get rid of it, you can't just blow it up!" Regina told him, "Magic isn't the problem kid, it's her!" Emma said as she reached out to Henry, "It's not just her! It's everyone" Henry told them, Cass frowned slightly suddenly realizing he was right, "Look what magic did to Mary Margaret!" Henry added, "Look what it did to you!" he said to Regina, Cass put her arm around Henry again, "He's right. It makes good people do terrible things..." Cass said, "And bad people..." Emma said, she was still reaching out to Henry, Cass stared at Emma and then felt Henry pull away from her and he went and stood in front of Regina, "Please...it's gonna destroy my family...help me get rid of it!" Henry pleaded now "I can't do that Henry..." Regina said sadly, "But there is something I can do" she added, she then held up a tiny scroll, Cass watched fearfully wondering what on earth she was doing, slowly Regina dropped the scroll into the fireball, she then closed her hand and the fire went out. Cass gave a sigh of relief, "Thank you!" Henry said gratefully, Cass put her arm around him once again and led him away from Regina and over to the others, Emma took hold of Henry and hugged him, they all turned and walked back into the trees.

 _Regina watched tearfully as the two police man escorted Owen back towards the car, they were soon driving away from the town line and a moment Regina's phone rang, she composed herself before answering,"Mayor Mills" she said briskly, "Madam mayor" came Graham's voice on the other end of the line, "Yes Sheriff?" Regina asked, "I have your daughter in custody at the station" Graham explained, "My daug..." Regina began, suddenly it was like a flash of memories flooded into her, "Yes, I'll be right over" she said and hung up the phone, she strolled over to her car and got in. She drove straight to the Sheriff's station and hurried into the building, through to the main office, "Sheriff?" she said as she turned into the room and then looked_ _over at the cell to see a young girl sitting on the bed, Regina knew who she was straight away, Cass. She smirked to herself and then looked round at Graham "What happened?" she asked him, "She was caught trying to shoplift at the general store" Graham explained, Regina_ _walked over to the cell, "Where have you been Hazel?" she asked firmly, the girl rolled her eyes and looked away from her mother, "You've been gone for two days young lady!" Regina went on, "Yeah, well! I was fine!" she said stubbornly back, Regina frowned for a moment and then looked back at Graham, "Let her go Sheriff, I will deal with her myself!" Regina said simply, Graham nodded and came over and opened the cell door, "Come on Hazel, we're going home!" Regina said firmly and then reached into the cell and pulled her daughter by the arm and strolled her out of the station._

 _Once they were in the car Regina spoke, "You're grounded until I say otherwise!" Regina said firmly as she drove up road, Hazel said nothing and just stared out of the window, Regina glanced round at the girl and thought for a moment, she then suddenly had an idea and she drove the car over to Mr Gold's shop, Hazel looked round at her mother "Why are we here?" she asked curiously, "I have some business to take care off" Regina explained, "But don't think I'm letting you stay here on your own" she said firmly, Regina then got on out of the car and Hazel groaned as she too climbed, reluctantly out, they then walked into Mr Gold's shop, "Madam mayor?" Mr Gold said from behind the counter, "Do what do I owe the pleasure?" he added, his eyes then shifted over to Hazel who stayed by the door, "Hazel, how lovely to see you" Mr Gold said, Regina looked from Hazel to Mr Gold searching for any kind of recognition in his eyes, but there was none. He really, truly doesn't remember, Regina smirked, "So how may I help you both?" Mr Gold asked again, "I just wanted to apologize for my earlier outburst at you, I was feeling rather stressed. Hazel here had been missing and work wasn't helping" Regina explained, "That's quite alright dear, you have her now, things should go back to normal" Mr Gold said, "Yes, they shall" Regina said, "Good day Mr Gold" she then turned to leave the shop, "Good day Madam mayor, Hazel" Mr Gold said and then went back to what he was doing and Regina ushered Hazel out of the shop and back to the car, feeling extremely pleased. She_ _had_ _not expected_ _to see the girl here in Storybrooke, but she was happy that father and daughter had_ _not been reunited._

Cass walked back into town with the others, they stopped outside Granny's "Cass? If your needing a place to stay for now, your always welcome to stay with us" David told her, Cass smiled slightly "Thanks but...I think it might be a little too overcrowded right now" she said "Anyway, I think I can get a room at Granny's" she said, David smiled and nodded, "Alright, that's fine" he said, "Well, we better go check Mary Margaret's alright" David said to Emma and then they both along with Henry headed along the road, Cass then turned to Neal, "So...fancy some food?" he asked her, Cass smiled "Yeah, sounds great" she said and they both walked on into the diner.


	25. Chapter 25

Storybrooke: Normal

 _Fairytale land: Italics_

Thanks to Neal, Cass got a room at Granny's for the time being, just while she worked on resolving the argument with her father. Cass woke early next day, she washed and dressed then headed out of the room and downstairs where she found Neal in the lounge area, "Morning" he greeted her as Cass walked into the room, "Hey" she said and sat down on the sofa, "Emma and Henry are coming over for breakfast. We're getting bagels, wanna join us?" he asked her, Cass nodded "Sure" she beamed back, there was silence for a moment before Neal spoke again, "Also...there's someone else joining us" he told her "Who?" Cass asked curiously, "Her names Tamara" Neal went on "She's my...fiancée" Cass stared for a moment as if she had just misheard, "Your...what?" she said, "My fiancée" Neal repeated, "But...what about Emma?" Cass asked him, Neal frowned, "What about her?" he asked her, Cass gave him a 'Do you think I'm stupid look' and Neal continued to frown, "I know you still love her" Cass told him, Neal looked taken aback sightly "What?...No I don't!" he replied, "Yeah, you do!" Cass told him, "You've only known me like two days!" Neil said, "exactly and I can already tell" Cass said smugly back, Neal was about to answer back when the door opened and they looked round as Henry came in, followed by Emma, "Hey buddy!" Neal said, as Henry came running into the room and they hugged, Henry then withdrew and then hugged Cass, "Hey, Henry" she said as she hugged him back, "How are you?" Neal asked, "I'm good, I brought this" he said as he showed Neal the 'Once Upon a Time' book "I thought you could tell me what it was really like over there" Henry added as he gave the book to Neal, "Sounds great!" Neal said, though Cass caught a hint of reluctance in his voice, "Tell you what, why don't you and Cass run to the diner, get us four hot cocos and we'll dive in" Neal told him, he gave Henry some money, Henry gave Neal the thumbs up, Cass smiled at him "Come on Henry" she said and she put her hands over his shoulders and led him through the door into the diner.

They went over to the counter and sat up on the counter stools, "Four hot cocoa please, Ruby" Cass said, "Coming right up" she replied and went off to make them, Cass then turned to Henry, "So...how you liking your dad?" she asked him, "He's cool! Great! Awesome!" Henry said, "Are you speaking to your dad yet?" he asked, Cass frowned at him, "Neal told me" he said, Cass sighed slightly and looked away "No...not yet" she said, "You should, maybe it will make things better" Henry told her, "I dunno Henry..." Cass said, there was a silence for a moment, then Cass changed the subject, "Hey! How about today we head down to the stables, you can show me that horse of yours" she suggested, "Alright!" Henry said excitedly, Ruby came over with the drinks and Cass gave her the money and they headed back through to the bed and breakfast part of the building, "Four hot cocos. With Cinnamon!" Henry said as he placed the drinks onto the small coffee table, "Great!" Neal said, they all then went to sit round the coffee table again when the door suddenly opened and they all looked round to see a women standing there. She was tall, with dark coloured skin, long blank hair and she was carrying a carrier bag, "Hey" Neal said as he got up again and went over to the women, "This is Tamara" he then began to introduce them all, "Tamara this is Emma, Henry - my son and my sister Cass" Neal said, Cass gave an awkward smile, "Nice to meet you..." Emma said as cheerfully as she could, Tamara nodded back with a smile "I wasn't expecting a whole party for my arrival" she joked, she and Neal went over into the room, "I brought bagels!" she said and began setting out the food onto the coffee table and they all dug in.

As they eat there was an awkward silence around the table, none of them knowing what to say, finally it was Henry who spoke "So...how'd you guys meet?" he asked, Cass glanced over at Neal - noticing he was not quick to jump the gun and answer, he just gave a small laugh and it was Tamara who spoke, "Well...I was super late to work, rushing like crazy, guzzling my giant coffee, when this guy...CRASHED into me" she explained, Neal gave another laugh and looked over at Tamara, Cass frowned sensing he was feeling awkward, she smirked to herself, she stood by what she had said before. he was still totally in love with Emma, "Hot coffee soaked my blouse. There was no time to change, so...Neal gave me his scarf to hide the stains, and he said I could keep it or call him if I wanted to return it. I decided to call and...well we've been together ever since" Tamara finished, "Sounds like fate" Emma said, still trying to sound cheerful but Cass could tell it was put on "I've got to drop Henry off at his Grandpa's" Emma added "Thanks for the bagel" Cass then looked over at Emma "Actually, I was gonna take Henry to the stables today" she said to her "We were going to see the horse" Emma looked over "sure...sounds good...I'll let David know" Emma said, Cass nodded "I'll drop him off at David's after" Cass said, Emma nodded and then she, Cass and Henry all stood up. Neal reached behind him and picked up Henry's book, "It was nice meeting you, Tamara" Henry said, Cass nodded in agreement, "You too" Tamara said, "Here you go" Neal said, offering Henry the book, "Why don't you hold onto that" Henry said "Okay..." Neal said puzzled, Cass smirked and then walked with Henry out of the room, "See ya" Neal called to them "And Cass!" he added and she looked back round "Go talk to him" he said, Cass sighed slightly but said nothing and continued to walk out "See you later" Henry called as they went out.

Emma dropped Cass and Henry off at the stables, "Alright kids, have fun" Emma said to them "Behave" she added, Cass smirked "Always" she replied as she unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed out of the car, "I'll let David know what's happening" Emma said, Cass nodded back as Henry got out of the car and stood beside Cass, "See you mum" he said to Emma, she smiled in response before giving a wave to both of them and drove off, the two of them walked into the stables, Henry ran straight over to the first pen and opened the door, "This is him!" he said as they both walked into the pen, Cass looked up at the tall, beautiful, black horse "Henry! He's gorgeous" Cass said, she then slowly approached the horse and reached out her hand, the horse lowered its muzzle and Cass stroked him softly, "He still won't let me ride him..." Henry told her, Cass smiled as she looked round at him "Don't worry, it'll happen eventually. You just have to be patient, these things take time" she told him, "Did you have a horse? Over there?" Henry asked her, Cass smiled to herself "Yeah..." she said softly as she thought about Charlie, she missed him so much, "I raised him from a pony" she added, "What was his name?" Henry asked, "Charlie..." Cass replied.

Suddenly there was a sound from further up the stable, Cass frowned slightly as she walked to the door of the pen and began to slowly make her way to the end of the stables, towards the source of the noise, there was the sound of a horse neighing and Cass felt tears form in her eyes. She knew that sound. Reaching the end pen she slowly opened it, as she looked inside, her eyes fell upon a beautiful, grey and white horse, he neighed loudly when he seen her and Cass smiled brightly, tears of joy in her eyes, "Charlie?..." she whispered softly as she walked into the pen and over to the horse, Henry came in after her "Is he yours?" Henry asked her, Cass nodded as she stroked the horse's muzzle, "Yeah...this is Charlie. I had no idea he came through...to be honest, I thought he was probably dead. I haven't seen him since Regina sent me through the looking glass" Cass explained, Charlie then gave her arm a little nudge and Cass smiled, "What is it boy?" she said "Want to go out?" Charlie then motioned his head in what could almost be described as a nod, Cass then looked round at Henry "Fancy a ride?" she asked, Henry nodded excitedly "Yeah!" he cried back, Cass smiled and then looked back at Charlie, "What do you say Charlie?" she said, the horse once again motioned his head in a nod and stamped his hooves on the ground, Cass smiled and looked over at Henry "Alright, go get a brush, saddle and reins" she told him, Henry nodded and hurried out of the pen and then returned a few minutes later with everything, "alright, here's your first lesson on horses Henry" Cass explained as she took one of the brushes from him, "before you go out riding or even begin with the saddle you must brush your horse first" Cass told him as she began to brush Charlie's back, "this is important because while you're riding the horse will sweat, and if you don't brush all the loose hairs of him then it will try and shake them off during the ride and possibly shake you off too" Henry nodded as he too brushed the horse, "okay, now take the pad Henry and brush it down with your hand, make sure there are no sharp or hard bits in the fibre. If there is pick them out, we don't want it to be uncomfortable for the horse" Cass told him, Henry nodded and put the brush down and picked up the pad and started brushing it down with his hand as Cass had said, Henry then brought it over once he was done, "Okay, now place the pad over the horse, with the dark leather patch on the front of the horse and then pull it up to the horse's shoulders" Cass explained, Henry nodded and did as she said, as he did this Cass picked up the saddle and made sure it was ready to be placed on, Cass walked over to the left side of Charlie, "Always put the saddle on from the left hand side, this is also the side you mount your horse from" she explained, "Hold the right side straps up and placed it over his back" Cass then let Henry help as they placed the saddle over Charlie's back, Cass then let straps drop once the saddle was sitting properly on the horse, "Okay, next part, take the thick, black strap there and string that through the ring here, then pull the strap up and loop it through here" Cass told him and they both did this, "Make sure the saddle it sitting snug and even on it's back" Cass let Henry do this and then checked it afterwards to make sure it was secure, she then picked up the reins, "Okay, getting the reins on Charlie should be easy, but I'll go over it slowly" Cass told him, "First, you place the reins over the horse's head, then guide the horse's muzzle in here, then you move the headstall up it's head and place the horses ears in place, then you secure the throat latch on the first notch" Cass did this part, demonstrating slowly so Henry could follow, "Right...so now can we go?" Henry asked "Yeah, he's ready. Come on we'll take him outside to mount" Cass told him and she held onto the reins of her horse and walked with Henry out of the stables.

Once they were outside Cass stopped Charlie in the middle of the clearing, "Sure is a lot of work to saddle a horse" Henry said, "Well, you want to make sure it's safe" Cass told him, "But don't worry, Charlie here won't let anything happen to us" she explained, "You must have him trained really well" Henry said, "It's all about trust Henry, if you create a strong bond between you and the horse eventually he'll...he'll be like...your best friend" Cass told him, "Alright, let's get started. Come round to the left hand side of the horse" Cass said, Henry did so, "Grab hold of either end of the saddle and heave yourself up onto the horse" Henry nodded and did exactly this, he got a little stuck but Cass gave him a boost and he was up, Cass then heaved up herself and sat behind Henry, she then took hold of the reins, "Okay, so to start him off just give him a small nudge in the side" Cass explained, Henry did so but Charlie didn't move, "Just a little harder" Cass told him, Henry once again nudged his foot against Charlie and this time he began to trot on down the path, "Okay, now pull the right rein to turn him right" Cass told Henry, they both pulled on the right hand side of the reins and Charlie turned, "Wait...that's the way into town" Henry said, "Yeah, let's go for a little stroll down main street. Charlie wants to see the sights" Cass said as they trotted on away from the stables and towards town.

 _"Cass?" Rumple called from the door of the castle. There was no response, Rumple frowned and he began searching the castle until he finally found her curled up in a corner of the library, reading, "Cass?" he said to her, Cass was so absorbed in her book that she never heard a word, suddenly the book vanished from her hands and she looked up at her father who stood over her, "Papa! I was reading that" she huffed, "You and your books" he teased "Your so much like your mother" Cass smirked "So any particular reason you had to take my book away" Cass said, Rumple said nothing, he just clicked his fingers and moments later they were outside the castle, "What are we doing out here?" Cass asked curiously, "Over there dearie" Rumple told her, indicating behind her, Cass turned and looked over at a building that she was sure had not been there before, Cass frowned "What?..." she said puzzled, "Well go on" Rumple told her and slowly Cass walked over to the building._ _As soon she entered she knew straight way it was a stable, she looked over to the pen beside her and stared transfixed. Inside was a beautiful, grey and white pony, Cass looked round at her father who was now standing in the doorway of the stables, "Is...he for me?" she asked excitedly, Rumple nodded "Yes dearie" he told her, Cass smiled brightly and ran over to Rumple, she hugged him tightly, "Thank you Papa!" she exclaimed, Rumple hugged her back "but remember, you are too look after him yourself; clean him, train him, muck out his pen, the lot" Rumple told her, Cass withdrew from the hug and nodded "I will papa! I promise" she replied, still smiling brightly, she then turned back towards the pony and slowly walked over to him, she stretched out her arm and laid her hand onto his muzzle, she then stroked him gently, "What will you call him?" Rumple asked her, Cass considered for a moment "I think...I'll call him...Charlie" she said and then hugged the pony, planting a kiss on his nose._

Cass and Henry rode into town, Cass pulled on Charlie's reins and they slowed to a steady trot as they headed along main street, "This is awesome!" Henry exclaimed "I can't wait till I can ride my own horse!" Cass smiled as she helped Henry direct Charlie, just then there was a voice behind them, "What are you two doing?" Cass pulled Charlie to a halt and turned her head to see Regina standing a few feet behind them, she then walked over to the horse, "I'm teaching Henry how to ride" Cass told her, Regina scowled "And is there a reason you are out in the streets?" she asked, Cass just shrugged "Charlie wanted to see the town" she replied simply, Regina frowned for a moment, she then glanced at the horse and then at Cass, "You mean this is that beast from over there?" she said and in response to this Charlie snorted almost angrily, Cass patted his side gently, "It's okay boy" she said softly "Regina's just having a grumpy day" Regina scowled again, "Henry get off that thing!" she said firmly, Henry didn't move "No...this is fun" he told her, "He's fine Regina. I trained Charlie really well" Cass explained, Regina said nothing for a moment and then sighed almost frustratedly, "Very well! But if he gets hurt..." she began and then Cass rolled her eyes, "No need for the threats" she said, then she gave Charlie a small nudged and they set off again.

As they trotted further down the street they soon came to the city hall building. Just as they passed the door someone came staggering out, Cass frowned and pulled Charlie to a halt as she looked over at the person, "August!" came a voice behind them and both she and Henry turned their heads to see; Emma, David, Snow and Marco running towards the figure, Cass climbed down off the horse and then helped Henry down, he ran straight over to the others, "Stay here boy" Cass told Charlie before rushing after Henry. As she and Henry reached then Cass looked down at August and gasped, noticing his entire body was made of wood, he had fallen to the ground and seemed to be struggling for breath, Emma and Marco knelt beside him, "August!" Emma cried, "My son! My boy..." Marco said softly, "My boy...what happened to you?" he asked worriedly, "I'm so sorry Papa..." August said to him, "There is nothing to apologize for. Everything is gonna be alright!" Marco told him, August then turned his head "Emma..." he said softly, "August..." Emma said back, August then sat up so he was little closer to Emma, "Emma...she's...she's..." August tried to say but at that moment he stopped speaking and moving all together, becoming the puppet he originally was. Cass put her hands to her mouth and tried not to burst into tears, "No...no...not again..." Marco said tearfully, Neal appeared beside Cass, "August?..." he said surprised, "No...It can't end this way! He was supposed to get a second chance!" Snow said, "What happened?" Neal asked, "Someone killed him to stop him from telling us something..." Emma explained "Used his last dying breath to warn us! I will not let that be in vain!" Cass put her arms around Neal trying to hold back her tears, Neal put his arms around her also, "Brave...Truthful...and Unselfish..." Cass heard Henry whisper, she looked over at him "What?" she asked curiously, "Brave! Truthful! Unselfish!" Henry repeated "Don't you see what this means! That's what Pinocchio was supposed to be! There's still hope! We need the Blue Fairy!" Henry explained.

As if on cue Blue arrived beside them, "I'm here Henry!" she said "What does Henry mean?" Cass asked, she had now let go of Neal, "I was able to turn Pinocchio into a real boy, after he sacrificed his life for Marcos. If his actions today were indeed; brave, truthful and unselfish...then there's a chance I can do it again" Blue explained, "Please...I beg you...try..." Marco pleaded, Blue nodded and closed her eyes for a moment and then hovered her wand over August, it lit up and Cass looked down at August as a blue glow formed around him, there was then a flash of white light and suddenly where August had just been was now a small, eight year old boy. Cass stared down at him and smiled slightly as Pinocchio opened his eyes and looked up at Marco, "Father?..." he said, "Pinocchio!" Marco said happily, "Look..." Marco said and he held the little boy's hand, Pinocchio looked down at himself "I'm a real boy...I'm a real boy!" he exclaimed excitedly, he stood up and hugged Marco tightly, Cass watched them, crying tears of joy for them both, Tamara walked over and stood on Neal's other side, "Hi..." Neal said, with a smile "It's...it's true..." she said in a shocked whisper, Blue knelt down in front of Pinocchio "Do better this time Pinocchio" she whispered softly to him, "Pinocchio...? That's..." Tamara said "Yes..." Neal said softly back, Emma then went and knelt down in front of the boy, "Pinocchio...I have to ask you a question. I need you to think real hard okay. Before you turned into a little boy...you were trying to tell us something really important, do you remember?" Emma asked him, everyone listened eagerly for an answer, "You were trying to warn us about something" Emma added "I...I don't remember...If I did...I would be truthful, I promise" he said, Emma smiled slightly and nodded, Pinocchio then went off with Marco and Blue. Emma and Henry went on over to David and Snow and they all hugged, Cass watched as all four of them began to head off and she decided not to go after them, she looked round at Neal and Tamara, "I'll let you two talk, I've got to take Charlie back to the stables anyway" she said to them, Neal nodded and gave Cass and small, one armed hug, she then walked back over to her horse and hoisted herself up onto his back and rode on up the street, back towards the stables.

Cass arrived back at the courtyard and she slid down off Charlie, then she took hold of the reins and brought him back inside the stabled. Just as she turned into the pen she heard a voice, "Hello Cass" she gasped as she saw Rumple standing inside the pen, "Papa...you scared me..." she said, Charlie began to shake his head and stamp his hooves on the ground, Cass turned towards her horse, "Hey...it's okay...shh...it's okay" she said to him softly, calming him down before turning back to Rumple, "Cass...please we need to talk" he said to her, "How did you know I was here?" she asked him, "I saw you...riding past the shop, I figured this was where you were going" he explained, Cass glanced down slightly and sighed to herself, Alright..." she said, "Just let me settle Charlie in" Rumple nodded and stepped aside to let her pass, Cass brought Charlie into the pen and removed the saddle and reins, she then checked he had plenty of hay and water, before walking back out of the pen and shutting the door behind her, she then proceeded to put the saddle away, "Well this takes me back" Rumple said softly to her, "You...tending to your horse" Cass said nothing and kept her back facing Rumple as she placed the saddle back in it's place, "I didn't know he was even here..." she said to him and then paused for a moment, "Thank you...for looking after him..." she added and then slowly turned around to face him, Rumple gave a small smile "He was the only thing I had to remind me of you" Rumple told her, Cass glanced down at the ground feeling herself begin to well up, she heard Rumple move closer to her and then felt a hand on her shoulder, "Cass...please...you and Bae...your the only two things I have left...I need at least one of you to talk to me..." he said to her, Cass looked up again, tears forming in her eyes, then suddenly the tears came streaming down her face, she flung herself forwards and hugged her father, "I'm sorry Papa...I'm sorry..." she said through sobs, Rumple put his arm around her gently, "Yes...and I'm sorry too" he told her softly. They stayed like that for a couple of minutes and then Cass broke away and quickly wipe away the tears from her eyes, "Come on...why don't we head back, I'll see if I can rustle something up to eat" he told her, "With magic or without?" Cass asked him, "Lets just see how things go shall we" he answered, Rumple then placed his arm over Cass' shoulders and they both walked out of the stables and back towards town.


	26. Chapter 26

Cass woke next morning feeling slightly disoriented for a moment, completely forgetting where she was, she sat up in bed and looked around the huge bedroom and then she remembered she'd stayed at her father's house last night, Cass pushed back the covers and climbed out of the double bed and went to get showered and dressed, making a mental note to stop by Snow and David's to pick up some clean clothes. She then made her way downstairs and found the kitchen, she wondered on over and searched through the cupboards for something to eat, she found some eggs, bacon and sausages, she proceeded to make breakfast. As she cooked a text came through on her phone, she checked it and saw it was from Neal, asking if she wanted to meet up with himself and Henry, she sent a quick text of 'Yeah' just as Rumple walked in, "Hey...I was worried, I thought you had run off..." he said to her, Cass smiled "No, just making breakfast" she told him, Rumple walked over to the kitchen area "Isn't it me who should be making the food for you?" he asked her, Cass smirked "Who do you think it really was looking after Henry all that time?" she said to him, "Really?" Rumple asked, Cass nodded, "Yeah, Regina was always working so...I looked after Henry...that's probably why we have such a strong bond" Cass explained, Rumple only nodded and Cass finished cooking and plated the food, she then went and placed the two plates onto the table and sat down at one, Rumple then sat down in the other chair. They eat in silence for a while, after bit Rumple spoke, "So, did you sleep alright?" he asked her, Cass looked up from her plate and nodded "Yeah...fine" she said, she paused for a moment before continuing, "Never actually realized how big this house was" Rumple smirked "Well...you never really had a reason to come here during the curse" Cass nodded and continued eating. Once she was finished she cleared away her plate from the table and washed it in the sink, "What's the hurry?" Rumple asked, as he looked round at her, "Oh...I'm...meeting Henry and Neal in the park" she told him, Rumple just stared, "You could come...if you like..." she said, Rumple said nothing for a minute and then smiled, "No...you go on ahead...besides, I'm not sure he's up for it yet" he said, Cass smiled sadly but nodded, she then picked up her bag from the back of a chair and then went over to Rumple and hugged him lightly, "See you later" she said and then turned and hurried on out of the house.

She met Henry and Neal in the park and found them 'fighting' with wooden swords, Cass smirked slightly and hurried on over, she sat down on a bench, "Hey!" she called to them, they both stopped and turned, "Hi! Wanna shot?" Neal asked, Cass shook her head, "No, you go on ahead" she told them and Neal and Henry carried on 'fighting' and Cass watched them for a bit before taking a book out of her bag, she propped it open on the table and began to read. She became completely absorbed in her story that she lost all sense of her surroundings, suddenly the table shook slightly and a foot stood on the pages of her book, "Hey!" Cass said as she looked up and saw Neal standing on the table, he jumped down "Sorry, bookworm" he teased, Cass smirked as she stood up, "That's it, Henry hand me that sword" she said, Henry passed the sword to her, "I'm not fighting a girl" Neal told her, "What, scared you'll get beat" Cass mocked back to him, Neal smirked "Aright, but don't say I didn't warn you" he told her and he lunged forward, Cass ducked just in time and moved swiftly behind him, "Pretty good" Neal said as he turned, Cass smirked and she held up the sword and they began to duel, Cass dodging almost everything he threw at her, then finally she managed to get him to the ground, Cass smiled smugly at him "What was that you said? Thought you could beat me" she said to him, "Not bad..." Neal said, defeated "Never stand on my book again!" Cass said in a mock, warning voice, she then passed the sword back to Henry and went back to sit down at the bench and continued to read her book. After a bit Neal and Henry both stopped and they came over to Cass, "Hey, bookworm" Neal teased and Cass looked up at them, "We're heading to Granny's for a bite to eat, wanna come?" Neal asked her, Cass considered for a moment and then shook her head, "I...got somewhere to be..." she replied, Neal nodded "Alright" he said, Cass smiled as she watched Neal and Henry walked off, she sat for a moment, thinking to herself, then she placed her book back into her bag, slung it over her shoulder and began to head off along main street.

She arrived at the hospital and stood outside the front for a moment, trying to pluck up the courage to go in, finally forced herself on in. She hadn't been to see her mother since the last time and the nurse had to give her an injection to calm her down, so she was nervous about what would happen this time. Cass headed up to the room but when she got to the door she stopped abruptly, it was empty. She stared worriedly into the room, the bed was unmade, like someone had rushed out of it in a hurry, she then caught sight of a nurse coming towards her, "Excuse me, the woman who was here. Where is she?" Cass asked her, the nurse looked into the room and then back at Cass, "I...she should still be here..." the nurse said, confused and alarmed, Cass frowned "Then...where could she be?..." Cass said, the nurse hurried off to find out and Cass looked into the room again, feeling worried, slowly she walked into the room, as she reached the bed there was a sudden flash of white light in front of her eyes, she then found herself looking at a completely different scene;

 _It appeared to be a bar; it was quite dark and there was loud music playing and chatter all around her, she looked down at her hands but they were not hers, she appeared to be holding a pool cue, she felt herself bend forwards and shoot at the pool balls on the table, she dunked one and there was a cheer from around her._

In a flash Cass was back in the hospital room and she fell to the floor, "Cass?..." came a worried voice behind her, next thing she knew someone took hold of her arm and helped her up, sitting her down on the bed, Cass looked up to see Rumple standing over her, she felt so weak "What happened? Where's your mother?" Rumple asked her, Cass said nothing, she just thought back over what had just happened, "She...I think she's in a bar..." Cass said slowly, her voice sounding weak, "How do you know?" Rumple asked her, she hesitated for a moment, "I...think I saw it..." she said, trying to explain, "I don't know how but...it was like...I was seeing through her eyes...everything she seen or felt, or heard...I did too" Cass told him, she then glanced down at the bed and seen something, picking it up found it was a matchbox with a white rabbit printed on the front of it, "I know where she is" Cass said and handed the matchbox to Rumple, he frowned as he stared at it and then looked at Cass again, "Are you alright? Can you walk?" he asked her, Cass nodded slowly, starting to feel a little better "It was just...I felt funny afterwards..." she said "That was strong magic you just used Cass, and with you still trying to grasp your magic it will make you weak" he explained, "Especially using that kind of magic" Cass nodded to say she understood, then slowly she stood up and looked at Rumple, "Are you okay?" he asked her again, Cass nodded slightly, "Alright...come on then, let's go find your mother" he said.

They arrived outside the The Rabbit Hole bar and stared up at the building, "Why on earth would she come into here?" Cass said, totally bewildered. The place looked completely run down and old, definitely not the kind of place she saw her mother going to "I don't know, maybe you best wait out here" Rumple told her, but Cass shook her head and headed on into the shabby looking building. Inside was not much better; it was dark just like she saw before, the music was really loud and it smelt strongly of beer, Rumple came in after her and went over to the bar, Cass started scanning the room, trying to catch sight of Belle, she walked a little further into the building and that's when she saw her. Belle was at the back of the room, over beside the pool table, she playing a game with a couple of other guys and drinking shots, "Papa!" Cass called, unable to take her eyes of Belle, Rumple came over, he stared over at Belle for a moment and then walked over to her, Cass followed still unable to believe she was looking at her mother, they both reached the pool table just as Belle hit another pool ball and dunked it, "Belle?..." Rumple said, he and Cass stopped beside her "Names Lacey" she replied and Cass frowned at this, 'Who the hell is Lacey?' she thought to herself, "Your name should be fast eddy, cause she's a hustler, she's hustling me" said a guy behind them, Lacey laughed at this and Rumple tried to talk again, "Do you remember me?" he asked, "The guy who visited me in hospital, sure I do" she said to him, "But now I remember who I am, and that's Lacey! Now if you'll excuse me, you're kinda in my shot" Cass frowned, 'No...this couldn't be happening...what was going on...?' she thought, as she watched Lacey move them both aside and bend forward over the pool table to take another hit, Cass looked round at Rumple, "What's going on?..." she asked him, "I don't know. But I have a pretty good idea who to ask!" he said firmly, Cass frowned slightly as Rumple turned and headed out of the building, Cass hurried after him "Papa! Wait!" she called out.

They got outside to Cass' relief, "Where are you going?" she asked Rumple, "Regina!" was all he said and then in the blink of an eye he vanished and Cass stood in shock, she then closed her eyes and thought of Regina and instantly she found herself in city hall, she saw Rumple barged through the door to the office, "What have you done with Belle?" he said firmly as he walked over to the desk, Cass rushed after him and they both stopped in front of the desk, "I'm sorry, do I look like a one-handed pirate with a pistol?" Regina said simply back, "You know who shot her" she added, "That's not what he meant!" Cass said stubbornly to her, "Stop playing games! She's gone and now she's someone else!" Rumple said firmly to Regina, "Oh...you mean she has her memories back. Your welcome" Regina said simply still, "Not her memories! Her cursed memories!" Rumple retorted back, "How'd that even happen? She didn't have a cursed life" Cass asked them, "Oh it's easily done" Rumple told her, Regina then got up from her desk and walked across the room, "From the curse you gave me Rumple! See all I did was jot things back in place" Regina told them, "Well undo it! Bring her back!" Rumple demanded "You know I can't...she crossed the town line, her old self is gone. These cursed memories she has are now real" Regina told them, Cass gasped slightly "No...there has to be a way..." she said worriedly, "No, there isn't. Lacey's here to stay" Regina said and then walked back over to her desk, "Any curse can be broken dearie!" Rumple said firmly, "And you are going to help me!" Cass looked over at Rumple and then at Regina "Or what?" she said firmly back "You'll kill. No you won't" Cass looked over at Rumple again "Oh won't I?" he said in a tone Cass knew all too well, "Your on your best behavior because of your son and Cass" Regina said simply "You don't want them to know who you really are do you?" Cass looked between them both, frowning slightly, "So I suggest you get used to Lacey" Cass glanced down slightly, "Cass go wait outside!" Rumple told her firmly, she turned to face him, "But..." Cass said about to argue "Please, Cass!" Rumple said a little more firmly, Cass frowned still but did as she was told and wandered back towards the door, she heard Rumple say, "Alright! I'll find a way" then Cass went out of the room and closed the door behind her, shutting out the rest of the chat.

Cass sat on the floor waiting for Rumple. when he finally emerged from the office and she got up straight away, "There is a way isn't there? To bring her memories back?" she asked desperately, Rumple sighed slightly "I don't know Cass...but I promise, I will try and find out" he told her, Cass glanced down slightly and Rumple placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, she then flung herself forwards and hugged him tightly, "Hey...it'll be fine" he told her, "Come on, I need to find someone" he added, Cass frowned slightly but Rumple said nothing else and walked on out of the building, Cass followed behind.

Cass followed Rumple to Granny's and they both went in, he then walked over towards David and Leroy "Is this seat taken?" he asked and they both looked round at him, Cass stood a little behind Rumple, wondering what on earth he was up to, "You might want to run along, I need to chat to the prince" Rumple said to Leroy, "It's alright Leroy, I got this" David said and Leroy moved off the seat and walked away, Cass came a little closer so she was standing between Rumple and David, "What you wanna chat about Gold?" David asked sharply, "Regina, she helped jot Belle's memory" Rumple said "That's good then" David said "No, wrong memories..." Cass added, "She now thinks she's a stoutly, clad, bar flier named Lacey" Rumple went on, "She has a false life, as you did when you were cursed with Kathryn" Rumple finished "Only hers involves a lot more alcohol" Cass put in, "What do you want with me?" David asked Rumple, "I wanna know how you did? Even when both your heads were filled with false memories, David Nolan still won Mary Margaret's heart" Rumple said "You want me to help you?..." David said "Well I'm certainly not here for the over praised lasagna" Rumple said, Cass frowned "Papa!" she said and then looked at Granny apologetically, "You got my wife to murder someone!" David said firmly, "Someone that would of killed all of you!" Rumple retorted back "Look, if you don't want to help that's fine! But if you do, for the first time ever I'm going to owe you a favor" Rumple said, Cass raised her eyebrows at this and then looked at David, "Trust me, you're getting a once in a lifetime opportunity there" she told him, "Yes, thank you Cass" Rumple said, David sighed and thought for a moment "Alright...when Regina cursed Mary Margaret...and me, there was still a sliver of Snow and Charming. The real us inside" David explained, "So how do I bring back the real Belle?" Rumple asked, "Show her the man she fell in love with" David told him, "Well how would I go about that?" Rumple asked him, David sighed again "Alright...take me to her" he said and they both got up and headed out of the diner, Cass hurried after them.

They got to The Rabbit Hole and found Lacey sitting at the bar, getting chatted up by someone, but from where Cass was standing it seemed like the man was trying and failing, "You two might want to wait outside" Rumple said firmly, David then rushed in "Eh...bad idea" he said, holding Rumple back, the man who was with Lacey got up and walked away from her, "Come on" David said and they all walked over to Lacey and while Rumple went to sit with her, David and Cass sat a little way up the bar and watched closely, "Ah, Mr Gold your...your back?" she said in a voice that was so not Belle's "As are you" Rumple replied, "Well what can I say, love the ambiance" she said simply and then took another drink, Cass wasn't sure if she could bare to watch or listen to this, "Wow, think I'm gonna need a drink..." Cass whispered to David "What the bloody hell's that?" Lacey exclaimed, turning towards the jukebox as a new song started, "Nope can't take this" Cass said bluntly and then got up from her seat and headed towards the door, just as Lacey got up herself and headed to the jukebox, Cass went out of the bar and waited outside. It was a few minutes later when Rumple and David both emerged, Cass was leaning against the side of the building, she straightened up when they came over "So?..." she asked, "It's a date" David told her and Cass smiled brightly, "So all you have to do now is make her fall in love with you again" Cass said, "Yes...but I fear that isn't going to be as easy as it sounds" Rumple said softly, Cass twisted her lip slightly, "Hey, she fell in love with you once right" Cass said trying to lighten the mood, no one said anything to this "Okay then...eh David...would it be alright if I went to yours to grab some clean clothes?" she asked him "I mean there's only so many days you can wear the same underwear for" David laughed slightly "Yeah, sure" he said and then fished in his pocket and gave her the apartment key, Cass smiled "Thanks, I'll drop by the station later and give you this back" she said and then hurried off up the street.

Cass got to the apartment to find Emma there, "Hey!" she greeted and Cass smiled in response as she closed the door behind her "Hi, David gave me a key...I was just coming by to collect some clothes of mine" she explained, Emma nodded "Sure" she said, Cass then headed into the room she had been using while living with Snow and David and gathered all of her clothes, she then found a carry bag and stuffed them all into it, "I thought you would be out with Neal and Henry?" Emma asked from the doorway, Cass looked round "Yeah...I was with them earlier...I went to see my mum...but...Regina got there first..." Cass said and then looked down at the floor, "She...she's given her false memories...her cursed memories..." Cass added, Emma sighed sadly "Oh...I'm sorry Cass..." she said and then walked over to the girl and placed her hand onto the girl's arm, "We'll find a way to fix it, I promise" she told her, Cass looked up and smiled slightly "Thanks..." she said, Cass then shook herself, "I should get going" she said "Oh here" she gave Emma the apartment key "Thanks" Emma said, Cass then headed on over towards the door, "Hey!" Emma called out and Cass turned her head "If you ever want to talk...just let me know" Cass smiled and nodded, she then bid her goodbye and headed out of the apartment.

Later on Cass headed over to Granny's to find out how the 'date' was going, as she walked in she spotted the two of them instantly, though it wasn't hard to miss Lacey who was wearing a very sparkly top, she continued to watch them as she walked over to the counter and sat up on one of the stools, "Hey, hot coco?" Ruby asked her, Cass glanced behind her at Rumple and Lacey just as Rumple knocked over his glass and spilled the contents all over her, Cass bit her lip and then turned round again "May need something a little stronger I think" she said, she then glanced round again to see Lacey get up and walk over to the restroom, Cass watched her go and then went over to the booth and sat opposite Rumple, "Relax!" she told him abruptly "You're trying to hard, just be yourself" Rumple sighed slightly, "I...I know...it's hard..." he confessed "But...I think Charming was right...there is still a sliver of Belle in there" he added, Cass smiled brightly "See! Even in our curse states there will always be a tiny part of the real us still inside. Looking back now when I was Hazel, I think there always was part of Cass me" Cass told him, Rumple smirked "Oh there was alright" he said, Cass blushed slightly "Right...I forgot...you remembered everything the moment Emma came to town..." she said, Ruby then brought a glass of something over and placed it in front of Cass, she picked it up but before she could take a drink Rumple snatched it from her hand and sniffed the contents, "Let's keep one of you sober at least" he said, "Besides, I've already seen you drunk" Cass bit her lip slightly but she clicked her fingers and the glass vanished from Rumple's hand and back into her own, "If I'm going to be watching this, I'm going to need all I can get" she said before standing up and heading back over to the counter.

After a bit Granny brought the food over to the table but Lacey had still not come back out from the restroom, Cass frowned slightly and then downed the rest of her drink and walked over to Rumple again, "I thought she'd just gone to the restroom?" she asked, Rumple frowned curiously, he then picked up his cane and moved out of the booth, Cass followed him, she then went into the restrooms and found it empty, "She's not there..." she said worriedly, Rumple frowned and looked along the corridor and saw a door open at the far end, he then went to investigate, Cass followed. They came round to the side of the building and Cass looked away immediately, trying to block out what she had just witnessed. Lacey was making out with some random guy behind a couple of bins, Rumple went straight over to them and pulled the guy off, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he exclaimed angrily, Cass looked back now watching the scene unfold, "Wait...you two were here together?..." the man asked nervously, "Yes! We are!" Rumple retorted back, "Look...I'm sorry I...didn't know..." the man told him, "GO! NOW!" Rumple shouted, the man didn't need told twice, he rushed off straight away, Cass watched as Rumple turned towards Lacey, "You...you alright?..." Rumple asked her, "Yeah! I'm fine!" Lacey replied impatiently, Cass frowned slightly "Let's get you inside..." Rumple said, "NO! I said I'm fine!" Lacey exclaimed, "Wait...you came out here because you wanted to be with him?..." Rumple said, the truth dawning on him, "Yeah!" Lacey said simply "I don't understand...our date...I thought it was going well?" Rumple asked, "No...no it wasn't..." Lacey said bluntly, "What?..." Rumple asked, "No, it never was! The only reason I agreed to go out with you was because I was trying to be nice" Lacey told him "But that's not me! That's you!" she added, "But that's what you liked about me..." Rumple told her, "The nice part of me! The good part!" Lacey then interrupted him "This is still about Belle isn't it?" she said sharply, Cass held her breath and felt tears leak from her eyes, "Look, Mr Gold I'm sorry she may have loved you! But I. Am Not. Her!" Lacey told him firmly and then pushed passed him and walked away, Cass watched her and then looked back at Rumple, tears streaming down her cheeks now, she went over to him "Papa...she's really gone isn't she...?" Cass said through tears, Rumple said nothing for a moment, he then put his arm around Cass "Come on, let's go home" he said, Cass tried to smile but it was to hard, she just nodded "I'm just going to get my jacket" she told him, "Alright...I'll meet you at the car" Rumple said, Cass nodded and went back into Granny's.

Cass picked up her jacket from the stool and headed back out of the front entrance, she went over to where the car was parked, as she approached she saw Rumple at the side of the car, he looked like he was hitting his cane on road but as Cass got closer she saw it wasn't the road he was hitting but a man, the same man they had just seen Lacey making out with, Cass stared in shock but what hurt her even more was Lacey was standing a few feet behind him not saying anything to try and stop it, she just stood there watching, a smirk on her face, Rumple then caught sight of Cass and he hesitated for a moment, Cass stared at him in disbelief, she then felt herself burst into tears once again and she turned on her heels and sped away from the scene as fast as she could, 'How could her father do this?...Neal was right...he was never going to change?...'


	27. Chapter 27

Cass ran straight to Granny's, when she came running in Granny herself looked up from the counter and instantly rushed over to the girl, seeing her face a mask of tears, "Whatever's the matter child?" she asked softly, Cass tried to compose herself but as she tried to speak it came out through sobs, "Is that room...still available Granny...?" she asked her, Granny nodded "Of course it is" she told Cass "Come on, come sit down and I'll sort the room for you" Cass let Granny walk her to the small lounge area and she sat down on the sofa, Granny then gave her a gentle hug before hurrying off to get to work. After a bit Cass heard the entrance door open and she turned her head to see Neal, her face was wet and red from her tears, "Hey..." he said softly then rushed over and sat down beside her, putting his arm around her gently "What's happened...?" he asked worriedly, Cass buried her face into his jacket as she continued to sob, "He...he's never...going to...change...is he..." she said, Neal sighed and continued to hug her comfortingly, "Hey...it'll be alright..." was all he said, Granny then came back into the room with a mug of coco, "With cinnamon, just as you like it" she told Cass, the girl did her best to smile but she felt more tears run down her cheeks, "Come on" Neal said as he took the cup from Granny and handed it to Cass, Neal then helped Cass to her feet "Lets get you upstairs, you'll feel better after some sleep" he said softly as he began to lead her up to her room. They went into the bedroom and Neal sat her down on the bed and then knelt on the floor in front of her, "Everything's gonna be alright" he told her softly, "Get some sleep and we'll talk in the morning, okay?" Cass glanced at him and then nodded, she placed the cup down onto the bedside table and lay back on the bed, on top of the covers "Get some sleep...I'll come see you in the morning" Neal told her, he then lend down and kissed her forehead softly before turning off the light and heading out the room, Cass rolled over onto her side and wept silently into her pillow, she continued this until finally she cried herself to sleep.

Next morning Cass woke up early and decided she wanted to go for a ride, so she got up and washed her hands and face in the bathroom, she then headed out of the building and towards the stables. She often liked to go riding when she was feeling upset or angry, it help her push all her worries away, Cass arrived at the stables to an excited Charlie and she set him up for the ride, she then brought him out into the field and mounted onto his back and then set off, racing around the field at top speed and letting Charlie jump hurdles and fences. Every moment she spent on her horse the more she began to feel a tiny little bit better. It was about midday when Cass finally dismounted Charlie and brought him back to the stables, she unsaddled him and took him into his pen, she then made sure he had plenty of food and water and stroked his back gently, "See you later boy" she whispered to him, "And thanks, you always make me feel better" she leaned in and kissed his snout and then gave him one last stroke before heading out of the pen, she closed and locked it behind her, then proceeded out of the stables and back towards town.

As she walked towards the diner she spotted Emma's yellow bug sitting at the side of the road, opposite Granny's, she frowned slightly as she saw both Emma and Henry inside, she walked on over to the passenger side and knocked on the window, they both looked round and Henry rolled down the window, "Hey...what you guys doing?" Cass asked, "We're having a stakeout!" Henry told her, Cass frowned "A stakeout? Outside Granny's? In a bright yellow car?" Cass said doubtfully, "Yeah...guess we really didn't think it through..." Emma said, "DUCK!" Henry cried and both Emma and Henry crouched low, Cass did the same as she looked over towards Granny's, she saw Neal and Tamara heading out of the diner and up the road, "Operation Preying Mantis, is on" Henry said, Cass frowned again "Preying mantis?" she asked curiously, "We're digging up dirt on Tamara" Henry told her, Cass considered this for a moment and then shrugged "Want some help?" she asked, "I...don't think..." Emma began but then Henry but in, "Sure!" then both he and Emma climbed out of the car and they all headed over to Granny's. Once inside they headed upstairs and Emma stopped outside Neal's bedroom door, she began picking at the lock with a pin, "Hang on..." she whispered to them, "I almost got it" both Cass and Henry watched her, "So...once we find proof that Tamara's evil...I guess the weddings off?" Henry asked, "Henry..." Emma said slowly, "Neal and I are not getting back together, you know that right?" she told him, "I mean...once he's single it could happen" Henry replied, "Sure" Cass agreed, "Going together...moonlight...wine..." she said, "Listen to me kids, I'm on to Tamara for other reasons not because she's with Neal, okay?" Emma told them, "Go,go,go,go" she added indicating for them to keep watch and both Cass and Henry went back over to watch the stairs and Emma went back to picking the lock. Finally she had it, "Ah yes!" Emma said as she opened the door, Cass and Henry began to follow her, "Hey...uh, uh, uh...you two got to be the look out!" she told them, "What do we do? Whistle?" Henry asked, "No, that's to obvious, you gotta hit the door. You know like..." she then began to demonstrate by kicking at the door, "Like...kick it like your bored, or like stumble into it" Emma told them, "Just hit the door, okay!" Cass nodded, "Hit the door! Got it!" Henry said, "Now go!" he added and Emma went into the room, closing the door behind her.

Cass went over towards the stairs to keep watch, "Right! I'll signal you if someone comes" she told Henry who had started pacing up and down the hall, "Got it!" he said, Cass smiled and kept watch, "Do you think they will get together, my mum and Neal?" Henry asked her, Cass looked round at this "Who knows...maybe..." Cass said, unsure of what to tell him, in all honestly she very much doubted it, seeing the way they both acted whenever the topic got brought up, "But hey...even if they don't, you still have them Henry...and you'll never be alone" Cass told him, she smiled at him and he nodded and smiled back, Cass then looked back toward the stairs just as Neal began to climb them, she gasped and signaled to Henry who rushed over towards the door just as Neal reached the landing, "Hey Henry...Cass..." he said as Henry not so subtly kicked at the door, "Oh...hell no, I taught her that! Emma!" Neal said as he went over to the door and opened it, Cass bit her lip slightly as they all went into the room, "Sorry, you weren't here and the door was open...and we just..." Emma began and failed to explain, "Emma? What's this about?" Neal asked her, Cass stood behind Henry with her hands on his shoulders, looking from Neal to Emma, "Tamara...I think she's playing you" Emma explained, "She's playing me, how?" Neal asked "I think...she's the 'She' August was trying to warn us about...I didn't want to tell you until I had proof..." Emma told him, Neal laughed slightly, clearly thinking it was a joke "Yeah, okay, well as long as you..broke into a room to spare my feelings...are you out of your mind!" Neal said, "He warned us about a women!" Emma said firmly, "Yeah! Which covers half the world! You brought the kids into this!" Neal said incredulously, "She lied to me! Remember I had that thing with lies!" Emma told him, "You thought you had a thing with lies, I never bought it..." Neil said, "Yeah! Ya did!" Emma said "Listen to me Neal...she's got a list of fairy tale characters and who they are, whoever she's going to give that too, they can blow this whole town wide open!" Emma explained, "Emma...I helped her make that list...it's to help her come to grips with this place, it's not easy! You know...she's trying to deal with it for me..." Neal told her, "I know what this looks like, but it isn't that...do I look like a jealous Ex?" Emma said, 'Yes' Cass thought to herself as she looked down and smirked slightly, "Okay...maybe I'm crazy...but lets find out. There's a floorboard loose that shouldn't be. So lets look under it, if there's nothing there then fine! I'll back off" Emma said, Neal looked round at both Cass and Henry and then back at Emma, "Okay! Yeah. Sure, what the hell" he said, Emma then knelt down on the floor beside the bed, she began trying and failing to left the floorboard, "A little help..." he said to Neal, "Oh right!" he said and then bent down to help her, Cass and Henry both stood watching, Cass feeling hopeful. Neal lifted the floorboard away and Emma placed her hand inside, feeling around for a moment but extracted nothing. There was an awkward silence for a moment, "Listen...I know Tamara being here is a little awkward..." Neal began, "Don't..." Emma stopped him "Henry lets go..." she then replaced the floorboard and stood up, she walked over to Henry and guided him out of the room, Cass watched them go and then looked back round at Neal, who was still kneeling on the floor, "Why can't you too just admit your feelings?" she said to him, "That's because there are none..." Neal said, "Yes! Yes there are! It's so totally obvious!" Cass told him, there was silence and Cass sighed, "Whatever..." she said, before heading out of the room.

She wondered around for a bit, trying to take her mind off things, she then began to think of her father and she felt herself begin strolling down the road towards his shop. She hoovered outside the window and looked inside, she saw her father standing beside the counter and Lacey sitting on top of it, they were talking and laughing, and of course Lacey was drinking, Cass felt her insides start to boil and a few hot tears leaked from her eyes, Rumple then glanced round and caught sight of her but before he could react Cass spun round and darted back along the road, away from the shop, wanting to get as far away from them as possible.

The next morning Cass was woken by shouts coming from outside, she frowned slightly and looked towards the window, she then got up, still in her Pajamas she ran out off the room and into the hallway to find Neal coming out of his room, they both stared at each other for a moment and then rushed on down the stairs and outside. At the back off the building, outside The Rabbit Hole, they found Rumple and Lacey standing over someone, Rumple had his foot hoovered above the persons head, "So. Kiss. My. Boot!" Rumple said, Neal then rushed over and pulled him back from the man, Cass now realized that it was Dr Whale, "What the hell are you doing?" Neal cried, "Stand aside! This doesn't concern you!" Rumple said firmly, "Go! Go!" Neal shouted to Whale who didn't need told twice, Cass watched as he ran off, she then looked over at Rumple and Neal, "Let go off me son!" Rumple shouted as he pushed Neal off of him, "Surprised you didn't turn him into a snail!" Neal said, "A snail?...what...what are you talking about?" Lacey said, Cass frowned slightly, so he obviously hadn't told her about his magic, 'Well that's something' Cass thought, "Lacey, why don't you go wait for me in the shop" Rumple said, as he handed her the keys, "I'll be along shortly" he added, Lacey reluctantly took the keys and wondered off, Cass watched her go and then looked back at Rumple, she hugged herself slightly, feeling the coldness on her bare arms, "Your unreal, you know that!" Neal said "You spend years looking for me, I come to town, you disappear! And don't get me started on Cass. You didn't even bother to meet Tamara!" he then began to walk away, "Why should I concern myself with her?" Rumple asked firmly, "We're getting married!" Neal said firmly back, "It's never gonna last! Not while you carried a torch for Emma!" Rumple told him, "You know you haven't changed one bit! For a second I thought you might have...I started to think, maybe you were worth my time. I guess I was wrong..." Neal said, he then put his arm around Cass and began to walk off again, "And yet your still here!" Rumple cried to him, Neal stopped again and looked back, his arm still around Cass "For Henry...and for Cass. Not you!" he told him, "Far as am concerned you can stay the hell away from all of us!" Neal then turned to walk away again, Cass glanced round at her father who watched them both, she then turned her head away from him and walked with Neal, putting her arm round him. Neal brought Cass back inside and then bent down in front of her, "You okay?" he asked her gently, Cass nodded slightly "Sorry you had to see that" Neal went on, Cass nodded again, "I guess...after everything...I should expect the worst now..." Cass said, Neal stood up straight and brought her into a gentle hug, Cass put her arms around him and shut her eyes tightly, never wanting to let go, "Why don't you go get dressed and we'll grab some breakfast" Neal said to her, Cass smiled and nodded "Alright" she said before heading on back up the stairs and into her room to change.

Once she was ready Cass went back downstairs and headed into the diner part of the building and sat down in one of the booths, Ruby came on over "Hey! What can I get you?" she asked her "Hot Coco and pancakes please Ruby" she said, Ruby smiled and walked off again, Cass waited and kept looking over at the door, wondering what was keeping Neal, eventually Ruby came over with her food, Cass began to eat slowly, watching the door the whole time, she was starting to get a little worried now, suddenly she there was a flash of white in front of her eyes and she felt herself slip into one of those visions;

 _She was on a beach, walking_ _causally_ _along, a little in front of her was Emma. Cass looked down at herself and found Neal's body, Emma was saying something about Tamara and how she thought Regina had been kidnapped by her, and asked Neal where exactly Tamara does her running._

Cass came back to reality and blinked a couple of times, trying to process what she had seen and heard, 'Why on earth had they spoken of Regina being kidnapped? Was she alright? Did she need help?' Cass thought and then bit her lip slightly feeling slightly worried again and then it happened again, there was flash of white in front of her eyes as she slipped into another vision;

 _She was now in a small room, there was very little light coming from the few windows, she tried to look at herself but realized she was completely strapped down, she then looked across the room to see a man with his back to her, when he turned around she saw it was that guy Greg Mendel, she looked down at herself again and could just make out Regina's body, "Where is my father?" Greg was saying firmly to her, there was no response and then Greg switched a switch on a strange machine and suddenly there was a huge jolt of something running through._

Cass gasped as he came out of the vision and stared in shock at what had happened; Regina was in danger and Greg Mendel was behind it. She tried to remember what she could see and hear; small room...dark...smelt like fish, she puzzled over this, she had never be able to sense smells in her visions before, she thought as hard as she could, then she had it, "The cannery" she said quietly to herself, she finished her drink and left some money then hurried on out of the diner.

Cass ran full pelt towards the docks and began circling the cannery building, searching for a best way to sneak in. She found a side door and opened it slightly, seeing the coast was clear she crept into the building, she picked up a metal bar from the floor, to use as a weapon and then wandered on along a corridor, the weapon held up at the ready, she then heard a noise up ahead and bit her lip slightly, gripping the metal bar tight in her hand she launched out towards a clearing and made to attack, she caught sight of Emma and Neal coming from one direction and Snow and David from another, "What the hell guys...!" Emma said as she lowered her gun and gave a sigh, "Here, so that doesn't happen again" David said as he handed Emma a radio, "Cass? What are you doing here?" Neal asked her, "I saw that Regina was being held here, I wanted to try and help" she told them, they all looked round at her in surprise "What do you mean...you saw?..." David asked, "Its...kinda a power I have...I can see through other peoples eyes" Cass explained, "Alright, we'll discuss this later, right now we need to find Regina" Emma said "David, you, Mary Margaret and Cass take the basement. Neal and I will searched the main floor. Regina's gotta be here somewhere" she told them, they all nodded and Cass headed off along a corridor with David and Snow. David led the way, holding his gun at the ready, Cass walked with Snow, her weapon still in her hand "So...power, huh?" Snow asked her, "Yeah...its complicated" Cass said, "Don't really wanna get into it right now..." Snow smiled and nodded, they carried on walking.

The got down to the basement and suddenly heard a noise coming from the far end of the corridor, "I know that noise, I heard it" Cass said, "Their there" David hurried along the corridor and the other two followed quickly behind, David reached the doorway first and at once fired shots, "DON'T MOVE!" David cried, Cass came running into the room to see Greg Mendel standing on the opposite side and Regina strapped to a table, Greg then pushed a monitor towards David and made a ran for it out another exit, David started to run after him just as Snow came running into the room and over to Regina, "David! We can't leave her!" she cried, she and Cass began to untie Regina's bonds, "She'll die if we don't get her help" Cass told them, "We gotta get her to Mother Superior!" David said as he came back over to help them, at the same time he took out his radio, "Emma! You gotta block the exits" he spoke into it, "Already on it. You guys alright?" came Emma's voice through the radio, "Yeah we're fine, we found Regina, with Mendel. He's coming your way" David told her, he put the radio away just as Cass and Snow finished untying the bonds, David then lifted Regina and they all hurried out of the room, towards the nearest exit.

They brought Regina back to Snow and David's apartment and David laid her down on the bed, "I'll go call Mother Superior" Snow said and she rushed off to do this, Cass sat down by the side of the bed and stared worriedly at Regina, "Do...do you think she'll be alright?..." she asked nervously, "I'm not sure kid" David admitted, Cass then spotted a black, leather cuff on Regina's wrist, she frowned slightly and reached over, as her fingers brushed softly on the cuff and she gasped pulling her hand back instantly, getting some kind of shock from it, "We gotta get that off her" she told David, "There's something in that, something strange" David frowned and looked down at the cuff, Snow then came back in, "Mother Superior should be here any minute" she told them and in that instant she appeared, "What's wrong?" she asked worriedly, "It's Regina" David said, "We need to get that cuff off her" Cass added, Mother Superior examined Regina for a moment and then she took out her wand and held it over Regina, it began to sparkle and glow blue as she ran it over Regina's body, the cuff then fell away and Mother Superior once again ran her wand over Regina, "Now that the cuff is off, she's going to be okay. Given time and rest, her magic will return" she told them. Just then the door opened behind them and they all turned to see Emma walk in, "What happened?" David asked as they hurried over to her, seeing the look of shocked disbelief on her face, "What is it?" David said, "Where's Neal?" Snow asked, Cass stared at Emma intently, "He's gone..." Emma said, Cass frowned "What do you mean...gone?..." she asked worriedly, "She killed him..." Emma said, Cass stared wide eyed in horror, "no...no he can't be..." Cass began to say but felt her words being caught in her throat, "he...can't..." she then felt herself burst into tears and she ran passed Emma, towards the door "Cass!..." she heard Snow called softly, but Cass ignored her and darted out of the apartment and out of the building.

Cass ran up the road, tears blurring her vision as she went, finally she stopped in the middle of the road and fell to her knees, letting out hysterical sobs, 'No...he can't be gone...he can't be...' she kept thinking over and over again in her head, she had finally had someone who she could rely on, someone who she could turn to and confide in, now because of some heartless, cruel women he was gone, forever. Cass shut her eyes and let the reality of it sink in, she then heard a car skid to a halt beside her but she didn't look up, she just continued to stare at the ground, then she heard a car door open, someone bent down beside her and took hold of her gently, then they helped her to her feet and lead her into the vehicle, which she now realized was David's truck, she allowed herself to be helped into the truck and then Snow climbed in beside her, the car door slammed shut and they were off, Snow placed her arm around Cass and gently hugged her, Cass continued to cry as she buried her face into Snow and put both her arms around her. The truck pulled up at the playground; David, Emma and Snow all climbed out, Snow then held the door open for Cass, she was about to shuffle out when she caught sight of her father across the playground, she looked at Snow and shook her head, Snow gave her a sad smile before shutting the door again and she proceed over to where Rumple was, Cass watched them as they talked, tears still streaming down her face. She couldn't hear what they were saying but eventually Cass worked it out when she saw the shocked expression on her fathers face, they were telling him about Neal. After a moment Rumple began walking away from them, Cass then ducked slightly as he passed the truck, Snow and David came back over and they both climbed into the truck, they were soon followed by Emma and Henry, Emma got in the front with David and Henry sat on the other side of Cass, she knew straight away that Emma had told Henry what had happened, she gently put her arm around him and leaned her head on top of his, hugging him gently.

They drove back to the apartment got out of the truck, heading in, Cass kept her arm around Henry as they walked through the door, Cass then spotted Regina still there, "Henry!" she cried, Henry ran from Cass over to Regina and hugged her, "Mum!" he said. Suddenly there was a loud rumble and then whole place shook violently for a second, "Regina...was that...?" Emma asked "Yes...the diamond was activated..." Regina told them, Cass frowned slightly, "The what?..." she asked wearily, "It's a kind of trigger...it resets Storybrooke back to the forest it was..." Regina explained, "So..we're all gonna die..." Henry asked nervously, "You were born here...so you'll live" Regina told him, "But...I'll be alone..." Henry said as he looked round at them all, Cass looked down at the floor, "I'm so sorry Henry..." Regina said, "Its not gonna happen. I'm not gonna let it! You did this now make it stop!" Emma said firmly, "I can't...there's noway!" Regina told her, "Well figure it out, it's your fault!" Emma retorted back, "STOP! I already lost my dad, I don't want to lose anyone else!" Henry cried out, "Henry's right, if we want to fix this we have to work together!" Cass added, "From the mouths of babes, I'd say the kids have a point.." came a voice from the door and they all turned to see Hook come strolling in, David then raised his fist and punished Hook right in the face, "That's for the last time we met!" David said firmly to him, "Bloody hell..." Hook sighed, "Tell us why your here before I use something else, other than my fist" David said firmly to him, "I think threatening to kill me is a bit redundant when we're all about to die anyway!" Hook said bluntly, "No thanks to you!" Emma said "Regina just told us you were working with Greg and Tamara to get your revenge!" Cass walked back over to Henry again and placed her arms over his shoulders, "That was before they told me I had to die to get it!" Hook told them "We don't have time for this, we have a real problem" Emma said, "Which is why I'm here!" Hook replied "Staring death in the face has made me realize that if there's one thing I want more than my revenge, it's my life. So should we stop this thing now and then resume bickering" Hook told them "There is no stopping it! The best thing I can do is slow it down" Regina said firmly as she walked forward, "That will only delay the inevitable" she added, Cass bit her lip slightly still keeping her arms around Henry, "It will give us the time we need" David said, "Time for what" Snow asked worriedly, "Steal back the beans!" David explained "Use them to get everyone back into the Enchanted Forest before Storybrooke is gone" Cass frowned curiously, "How, we don't even now where Greg and Tamara are..." Emma said, "Well I do!" Hook announced "And I can help" everyone looked at each other wearily, Cass was sure they were all thinking the same thing, 'can they really trust Hook' "You'll take them and leave us all behind, why should we trust you!" Emma said firmly to him, "I'll go with him, if he tries anything I'll shot him in the face!" David said firmly, "Quite hostile aren't we!" Hook said, "Just being clear!" David retorted back, "I'll take Regina to slow down the diamond to give you guys time, Mary Margaret take Henry and Cass to gather everyone, make sure their ready to go as soon as we have those beans" everyone nodded and they all set off, as Cass led Henry out Regina took hold of his arm and held him back, "Henry! Before you go. I'm sorry for what's happened...I...tried to be the person that you wanted me to be and I failed...but I won't let you be alone! You just know that I love you..." Regina said to him, Cass smiled slightly at them, "I love you too..." Henry said, Regina then brought him into a hug again, Henry then withdrew and Cass put her arm over his shoulders again and led him out of the flat after Snow.

They all ran up the street, calling to everyone they met to gather at Granny's, telling them that they had a plan to get away. As they headed up the street the dwarfs came running in the opposite direction towards them, they stopped when they reached the three of them, "The Blue Fairy has done it!" Leroy told them, Cass frowned "Done what?" Snow asked, "She successfully conjured up a remedy for the memory loss" he told them, Cass felt her heart leap with joy, "Really!" she cried, "We just need to get Sneezey's cup" Leroy said "We need something off his to make it work" Snow nodded "Okay, once you've done that meet us back at Granny's, we have a plan" she explained, Leroy nodded and the three of them began to head on, Leroy then caught Cass' arm, "Cass, will you come with us, we could use your help" he told her, Cass looked over at Snow who had stopped a little way up the road, the girl nodded to her and Snow nodded back then carried on with Henry, "What is it?" she asked, as they began to hurry along the opposite way from the other two, "Blue made a second helping, I thought you should give it to your father" he told her, Cass looked ahead and bit her lip slightly as they headed to her fathers shop.

They went straight in and instantly began to search from the cup, Cass helped them. Moments later and Rumple came through from the back, Cass looked over at him as he spoke "Sure sign of impending doom! Looters!" he said as he walked over, Cass frowned slightly at him "It ain't looting when the stuff you finds already yours!" Leroy said firmly, "We need Sneezey's drinking stain, we can bring his memory's back!" he told Rumple, Cass looked over at her father as he scoffed "Oh can you" he said, "Mother Superior finally figured it out" Leroy said "He needs to drink this out of his old stain, something important to him" he explained "So she found a solution to the memory problem today. In the Nick of time before we all die!" Rumple said, Cass glanced down slightly, "Die? Whose dying?" Mr Clark asked, "She's been working on it all along! Then we she had to transfer August back to Pinocchio she found the ingredient she needed! A hair from Pinocchio's head! Someone who returned to who he should be, someone who wasn't cursed!" Leroy told him "So your gonna wake your friend up, to tell him he's about to die!" Rumple said "I don't want that..." Mr Clark said, "Shut it Clark!" Leroy said, "He wants to know who he is and be with his family no matter how much time he has left!" Cass spoke up finally, staring her father straight in the eyes, he looked over at her, "Not if I'm gonna die!" Clark said defiantly, Cass looked round at him "Take him back to Granny's" Leroy said, he gave the veil and the cup to the other dwarfs and they all led Clark out of the shop, Leroy then walked over to Cass and handed her the other veil, Cass bit her lip slightly then looked over at Rumple, she then went over to him, "Blue made a second dose" she said holding out the veil to Rumple, "What I'm I supposed to do with that" he asked, Cass frowned at him, "Belle once help remind me who I was" Leroy said from behind Cass "I never forgotten, I want to return the favor" Cass looked back at Leroy and then at Rumple again still offering him the potion, "Take it Papa" she said "Mum deserves to know the truth" she told him, "Don't let her die as Lacey" she added, Rumple hesitated for a moment and then he took the bottle from Cass, lingered his hand on hers for a moment before bringing it away, Cass looked up at her father and gave a small smile "Do the right thing Papa..." she whispered to him before turning and heading back out of the shop with Leroy.

They headed to Granny's and arrived to find Snow, Henry and the other dwarfs there, they had successfully managed to revive Sneezeys memories so he was back to his old self, Snow came over to Cass "Did he take it?" she asked her, Cass nodded "Yeah...now all that's left to do is see if he uses it" she said and then went and sat up at the counter, watching as a few more people came in. After a bit David came running in followed by Hook, "We have the beans!" David announced, everyone got up excitedly and Emma came through the door next, "You did it?" she asked him, "Yeah" David said, "You okay?" Emma asked and Cass noticed a cut on his arm, "Its...eh...its a graze, it's fine" David said, "Lets get going...ready" Emma said, "Where's my mum?" Henry asked as he went over to Emma, "Regina can hold of the self destruct device long enough for us to escape but..." Emma explained, "But what...?" Cass asked curiously as she came over to join them, "She won't survive..." Emma told them reluctantly. There was a stunned silence around the room and Cass looked over at Henry, "No...NO!" he said frantically, "Henry, I'm sorry...I promised her I would get you to safety" Emma said, "But we can't do this...she's family!" Henry said, "We don't leave family behind" Cass watched him sadly, "Henry's right! We've got to do something" she said, "This is what she wants, we have a way out, we've got to take it" Emma told them, "We saved her from being killed by the Wraith! How is this any different?" Henry said, "The Wraith!" Snow said suddenly, "What?" Emma asked, "We sent it through a portal, why can't we do the same thing with the self destruct" Snow said, "Because we don't know if it's going to work..." Emma answered, "It could!" both Snow and Cass said together, "Yeah!" David agreed, "It's too risky...no one will go along with it" Emma said, "Yes we will!" Archie said as he came over to them "Cause it's the right thing to do" Cass added, "Look, Snow White and the Prince, have always led us before, and we've always won. So...whose willing to let them lead us again?" Archie said and at once everyone agreed, Cass smiled as she looked around the room, "Thank you Archie! This is what we should do!" Snow said, "And will do" David finished, "I know we haven't had a lot of chances to be parents...but...give us this one" Snow asked Emma who took hold of Henry and hugged him gently, "Let us do the right thing, it's not to late" Snow added "I just don't want him to be alone..."Emma told them, "I don't want him to grow up the way I did..." Cass looked from Emma to Snow and David, she was about to saying something when suddenly there was a huge rumble and then floor shook violently, everyone stumbled and almost fell over, "This plan could fail...we use that bean now, and we can get away for sure! We can survive!" Emma said abruptly, "But it's wrong!" Snow said, "Emma, I killed her mother!" "You did that to Cora because you had to!" Emma said, "I did it because it was easy..." Snow admitted "It was a mistake...there were other paths...harder paths, and I wish I had taken them, so please...Emma honey...lets take the hard path, because if we don't...we will be building a future on Regina's blood..." there was silence for a moment and then Emma finally spoke, "Okay..." everyone relaxed and Cass smiled as David chucked her the bag containing the beans, Emma made to grab it but Hook got in first, "Your all mad!" he said to them as he went towards the door, "I can live with myself" he told them, "Give it back!" Emma said frantically, "She wants to die for us, I'd say let her" Hook said, "You and I, we understand each other...look out for yourself and you'll never get hurt right?" Emma said, "Worked quite well for me..." Hook replied, "Yeah till the day that it doesn't! We're doing this! It might be stupid, it might be crazy but we're doing it!" Emma told him, "So you can join us...and be a part of something or you can do what you do best...and be alone" Cass moved closer to the front of the crowd and stood beside Henry, she placed her arm gently over his shoulders, Emma then held out her hand for the bag, Hook reluctantly handed it over "Quite passionate Swan!" he said grudgingly, Snow then signaled to Cass and she headed on out with Henry,

Cass along with Snow, David, Henry and Emma made their way down to the mines and over to where Regina was holding off the jewel, "What are you doing here?" Regina asked in shock and surprise when she saw them all, "You were willing to die to safe us, that makes you a hero" Henry told her, "And now we're going to be heroes" he added, "We're gonna open a portal...throw this thing into a void" Cass explained, "No! You don't know that it will work!" Regina said firmly, "We have to try..." Snow said, "Everybody, step aside..." David said as he brought Henry, Cass and Snow out of the way, Cass looked over at Emma as she dug her hand into the pouch, "Emma...?" Cass said worriedly, Emma then turned around "It's empty..." she said confused, everyone stared in shock and worry, "Hook..." Emma said softly and firmly, "I can't contain this much longer.." Regina said weakly, Cass looked from Regina and then round at the others "So...it's over..." she said fearfully, Emma then walked slowly over to the four of them, "Mum...Dad..." she said and for the first time Cass heard real fear in Emma's voice, she came right over to them and hugged them all, Henry and Cass both joined in on the hug, Henry then moved away and walked over to Regina, "I love you Henry..." she said softly "I only wish I was strong enough to stop all this" she admitted to him, "I'm just not..." Henry then put his arm around Regina and hugged her softly, Cass who had withdrawn from the group hug looked over at Henry sadly and tried so hard to keep her tears in, she then spied Emma walking over towards Regina "You may not be strong enough...maybe we are" Emma said, Emma then looked back at the others and they all moved away from Regina and Emma to give them room, Emma then moved over closer to the jewel and held out her hands, suddenly a flash of light soared from Emma's hands just like Regina, they both stood there trying to power down the jewel when suddenly there was a flash and a huge wave of energy forced them all backwards, Cass screamed as she was thrown onto her back, knocking the wind out of her for a few minutes, "We're alive!" David said in relief, "Emma!" Snow cried as she and David rushed over to help her up, Snow then went to Cass and made sure she was okay, the girl smiled and nodded as she got to her feet and looked over at Regina who picked up the now dead jewel, "We did it!" Emma said, "Yes we did..." Regina said as she came over to join them, "I gotta hand it to Henry, he's right about a lot of things" David said happily, "He is..." Emma said, Cass then looked round to hug Henry but found he was nowhere to be seen, "Where is he?" Cass said worriedly as she looked back at the others, "Henry?..." Emma said as she began to walk along the mine, Cass bit her lip as she took up the rear of the group, getting a bad feeling inside her "Henry?..." Regina called this time, "Henry!" Emma cried, more frantically now, Emma then ran a little faster, "Emma, what is it?" Snow cried, Emma knelt down and picked up Henry's back pack, "They took him..." Emma said, the others then began to run fast along the mine, Cass was about to follow them when suddenly in a instant she found herself out of the mine and at the marina.

Cass wasted no time to think about what had just happened and why, she spotted Greg and Tamara a few feet away and they were dragging Henry with them, "Henry!" she cried as she started running after them as fast as her legs could go, she saw them stop at the edge of the pier and Greg through threw something into the water and instantly a portal was opened, "NO!" Cass cried as she sped up, she was feet away from them now, she heard Emma and the others shouting behind her but she knew they were too far away, Greg and Tamara made a running jump and they dragged Henry with them, Cass just managed to grab onto Tamara's coat and she was pulled with them off the pier and into the portal, leaving Storybrooke behind her and traveling to an unknown land, but she didn't care about any of that, the only thing she thought about at that moment was she had to protect Henry.


	28. Chapter 28

Cass screamed as she thrown face down onto a hard surface, she felt sharp grains of sand fly up her nose and into her mouth and eyes, she sputtered and then looked to the side and saw Henry, she shuffled quickly over to him, "Henry!" she cried, "Cass!" he replied back and Cass put her arms around him protectively as she tried to help him up, "Uh-uh uh-uh uh-uh! Slow down kids!" came a voice behind them and Cass looked round, she shot her hand up sending a flash of white towards Greg who was coming over, but it missed and he took hold of Henry, "Let him go!" Cass shouted, unknown to her Tamara was coming up behind her and in a flash Cass felt something being clamp round her wrist, Cass looked down and tried to pull off whatever the thing was, "That's not coming off" Greg told her, Cass frowned as she pulled Henry away from Greg and held him gently, "You've got nowhere to go!" Greg said smugly, "We made it! Mission accomplished" Tamara said as she looked around, "Are you sure about that? 'Cuz my mom is coming to get me and Cass. Both of them" Henry said firmly, Cass kept her arms around Henry as Greg walked slowly over to them, "You might want to take a look around. Do you see any clock towers? You two are a long way from Storybrooke" he told them, "It doesn't matter!" Cass said firmly, "My families been to the Enchanted Forest before and they can get here again!" Henry added, "Well we're not in the Enchanted Forest!" Tamara told them, Cass frowned slightly as she looked round about, "Then where are we?" she asked nervously now, "This is Neverland!" Tamara said, Cass' eyes went wide, "Neverland?..." Cass said bewildered, "Your here to destroy Neverland?" Henry added, "It's the mother load of magic!" Tamara told them, she then looked down at Greg who was busy searching through a bag, "Where's the communicator? We need to signal the Home Office" she asked him, "Here you go, T" he said handing her something that looked like a radio, "An office in the jungle? Who works there?" Cass asked doubtfully, "Who we work for, is not your concern kid! Just know that they take care of us. We were only meant to bring the boy, but I suppose the daughter of the dark one will make an added bonus" Greg told them, Cass frowned still keeping her arms around Henry, "If they take care of you then can they tell you how to get back home after you destroy magic!" Henry said, "We don't ask questions! We just believe in our cause" Greg said simply, "Greg!" Tamara called and he turned to her, "Yeah?" he said "I'm not getting a status light on this thing!" she said, Greg took the radio from her and examined it, "Did you check the batteries?" he asked as he opened the back to discover it was filled with sand, "What the hell is this? A toy!" Tamara said, sounding afraid now, "It's a good thing you guys don't ask any questions, right?" Cass said smugly to them, "Lets go" Greg said to Tamara and then turned to Cass and Henry "Walk!" he ordered, as he took hold of Henry and pulled him from Cass, "Hey!" she cried but then Tamara managed to tie Cass' hands together and then pushed her on also, Cass went further on so that she was beside Henry, she reached down and held his hand as best she could with her now bound hands, she glanced at him, wishing she could let him know somehow that it was all going to be okay, "Why'd you take Henry in the first place?" she said firmly to the adults, but they said nothing and just continued to push the two of them on, Cass kept hold of Henry's hand the whole time.

After a while Cass was beginning to feel like they had been walking for hours, it was starting to get dark, so they found a small clearing and Greg collected some wood to make a fire, he then took out a box of matches from his bag and lit the rubble inside the pit, "We making S'mores?" Henry asked, "No! Building a signal!" Greg said firmly and then turned to Tamara "Help me gather some dry leaves, we need to let the home office know we're here" he said to her, "And what if that's not enough!" Tamara said, "What if the empty communicator wasn't an accident," Cass frowned slightly as she looked between the two of them, she was still standing right beside Henry, even though she knew she could no longer use her magic because of the cuff thing, she was still going to do what ever it took to protect him, "Don't let the kids get in your head!" Greg said firmly. Suddenly there was a rustling sound from the trees and they all spun round to look, Cass put her bound hands round Henry protectively.

A groups of boys appeared from the trees, they looked around Cass' age or not much older, she frowned as they all walked towards the four of them, "Who are you?" Greg asked, "We're the Home Office!" said the tallest boy, Cass got the impression he was the leader, he was holding some kind of club over his shoulder "Welcome to Neverland!" he went on, "The Home Office, is a bunch of teenagers?" Tamara said incredulously, "They're not teenager! Their the Lost Boys" Cass said nervously, still holding her arms around Henry to keep him safe, she now felt so helpless without her magic "Look at that!" the leader boy said, "Why do the Lost Boys want to destroy magic?" Henry asked, "Who said we wanna destroy magic" the boy said, "That was our mission" Greg said, "So you were told. Now the boy. Hand him over" he said, Cass gasped and brought Henry closer to her, "No!" she said firmly to them, "We never asked for a girl!" the boy went on, "She was a bonus chip. Daughter of the Dark One" Greg told them, "And your getting none of them not unless you tell us the plan" Tamara added, "For magic. For getting home" she walked over so she was now standing in front of Cass and Henry. There was silence for a moment and then the boy smirked, "Your NOT getting home!" he said firmly, "Then your not getting the kids!" Greg said firmly back, the boy smirked and gave a small chuckle "Of course we are!" he said simply. Suddenly there was a roaring sound from above, something came flying down from the sky. A dark shadow appeared and swooped towards Greg, he yelled out as the shadow began ripping out Greg's shadow, he then collapsed to the ground, the shadow floats off back into the air, carrying Greg's shadow with it, Cass stared in horror at this, she brought her hands over Henry's head and took his hand, "Run!" Tamara cried to them both, Cass didn't need told twice, keeping hold of Henry's hand she pulled him into the trees just as she heard the leader say, "Get the kids!"

Cass ran with Henry through the trees, now running side by side as fast as they could, trying to get away from the Lost Boys, "Come on Henry!" she cried, she then spotted a tree up ahead with a gap at the base, "Over there!" she said to him as she sped up a little and dived head first into the hole, she then looked back for Henry but found he was nowhere to be seen, "Henry!..." she called, she then gasped and ducked down as the Lost Boys ran passed her hiding place, "Where'd they go?" she heard them yell as they ran straight passed her. Cass waited until the voices had faded away, then she lifted her head again, "Henry?..." she called but not too loudly encase the Lost Boys were still close by, she looked down into her hiding place and found a sharp rock, quickly she pick it up and began hacking at her bonds. It took a minute but finally they fell away, she knew there was no hope in getting the cuff off her wrist though, but at least her wrists were no longer bound, slowly and carefully she peered out from her hiding place to check the coast was clear and then crept out and began searching for Henry.

Eventually she arrived back at the spot they had previously been with Greg and Tamara, she passed Greg's lifeless body on the ground and then spotted Tamara, she walked slowly over and found she was dead also, she knew she should probably feel bad for them both but she didn't. Tamara had killed Neal and Greg was an evil twisted maniac, they deserved what they got after they had kidnapped Henry and were going to hand them both over to the Lost Boys. Cass walked over to the fire pit and sat on the ground wondering what on earth she was going to do now, she put her head in her heads and groaned. What on earth was she thinking coming here? What did she think would happen? That she would manage to overpower Greg and Tamara and get Henry to safety? She didn't even know anything about Neverland, let alone how to get off it, she felt herself well up with tears, 'Stupid Cass! Stupid Cass!' she thought as she started to sob quietly.

After a minute she looked up and rubbed her eyes, 'Enough' she thought fiercely 'Crying wasn't going to do any good! It's wasn't going to safe Henry!' she then stood up again, 'She was going to find him! She would find Henry and then find a way off this island if it was the last thing she did!' She went over into the trees and began searching for some kind of weapon. She found a long thick stick, a couple of sharp looking rocks and some strong tree vines. She began curving at one of the rocks so it made a point, then she took the tree vein and began tying the now pointed rock onto the end of the stick so it fashioned a kind of spear, she tested it by hurtling the pointed end into the ground. When she brought it out the whole thing was still in tacked, she smiled and held the spear tight in hand, "Don't worry Henry...I'll find you..." she whispered softly as she began to walk on into the trees again.


	29. Chapter 29

Cass trudged on through the trees as she searched for Henry; the crafted spear she had made was still clutched tight in her hand. As she walked she cut back bushes in her way, she soon came across a dark, thorn plant and she knew straight away what it was; Dreamshade. She had read all about this plant and its poisonous substance, and then she had an idea. Carefully as she could she rolled her hand into her sleeve and gently pulled a tiny piece of the plant off, making sure she only touched the vine part, then she began to slowly extract the black substance dripping from the thorn and let it fall onto the point of her spear, she then discarded the plant and wiped her sleeve on the tree next to her, getting as much of the black liquid off as she could, and then she carried on walking.

She eventually came to a small clearing and was just about to set up camp when she heard a twig snap in the trees behind her, she spun round, readying her weapon. The Lost Boys appeared, there must of been about 10 of them and taking the lead was the tall boy she had seen before, Cass gripped her weapon tightly as she stared round at them all and then rested her eyes on the tall one, "Well, well!" he said rather smugly, "We've been looking for you" the boy when on and Cass frowned, "I thought it was Henry you were after?" she said firmly, the boy smirked "Yes well...after discovering who you are...let's just say, Pan is intrigued" he told her, Cass continued to frown "Pan?...Peter Pan...why would he be interested in me?" Cass asked, still in a firm voice, out the corner of her eye she saw one of the boys edging closer to her, she turned the spear towards him, "Stay back! Unless you want Dreamshade in you!" she cried, the boy stopped where he was and the leader gave a small laugh, "Smart girl" he said, almost mockingly, "But you should know that's not going to stop us" Cass looked round at the tall boy again, "You see Pan wants you, and what Pan wants, he always gets" the boy added. While Cass was distracted with the leader again she was unaware of someone coming up to her from behind, the boy grabbed hold of her, catching her off guard, she gasped and dropped the spear and as soon as she did two other Lost Boys ran over and took hold of either side of her, Cass struggled against their hold and then looked round at the tall boy again who smirked, "Come on!" he said to the others and at once the Lost Boys began to follow him, the two holding Cass dragged her with them into the trees. They arrived at some kind of camp, the Lost Boys dragged Cass over to a small hut and took her in, they then proceeded to tie her up and then most of them left but one stayed by the door to keep guard, Cass struggled at her bonds, trying to get loose but the knots were too tight, she looked over at the boy who was standing guard "Where's my brother? Where's Henry?" she cried firmly, but the boy said nothing and just stood completely still.

After a while someone else came in who Cass hadn't seen before, he certainly had not been in the group that brought her here, but from the way he strolled through the doorway and the way the guard stood up proper when he approached made Cass guess straight away that this was Peter Pan. He stared at the girl for a moment, and Cass got the feeling he was searching for something in her face, he then turned to the boy, "Leave!" he ordered and instantly the boy hurried out, Pan then turned to Cass again, he walked over slowly and knelt in front of her, "So! You're the girl they were on about" he said in more of a statement than a question, Cass continued to frown, "Where's Henry?" she said firmly to him, Pan only smirked, "If you've hurt him, I swear I'll..." Cass began but then Pan cut her off, "You'll what?...Hurt me? We both know you can't do that. Not just because your tied up and have no magic, but we both know you haven't got it in you" Pan told her, "You don't know anything about me or what I'm capable of!" Cass replied firmly, Pan smirked again "I know more than you think...Cass" he said, Cass stared in shock now. No one ever knew who she was, "I know your fathers Rumpelstiltskin, I know you feel alone...and unloved. You see...we've met before you and me. You probably don't remember, I'm guessing dear old daddy's erased it from your mind" Cass frowned again, this time in confusion "What are you talking about?" she asked, there was a pause, "Let's just say...you had the chance to come to Neverland before, but Rumple stopped that from happening" Pan told her. This last statement left Cass puzzled, Pan stood up again and headed towards the doorway, "Wait! Where's Henry?" she cried out, Pan turned to her again, "Don't worry, he's safe...for now" was all he said before walking back out, Cass watched him leave and then began pulling at her bonds again, the guard came back in and ordered her to stop, when she refused he threatened to make the bonds tighter and this time Cass did stop and leaned back against a box-like object and sighed to herself. 

_"Cass" Rumples voice called through the castle, there was no response, Rumple frowned and began searching for the 10 year old. He went into the main room and called again, still no response and then a tiny giggle could be heard from behind the curtains, Rumple spun round to face them and with a swish of his hand flung the curtains wide open, revealing his daughter, "Papa! That's cheating!" she exclaimed as she came running over to him, "You were the one who laughed dearie" he said simply, Cass stopped in front of him and flung her arms around his waist, Rumple hugged her back gently, "I'm afraid I have a few more jobs to do Cass" he told her, Cass looked up at him with her big brown eyes as she felt her heart sink, "But I will be home soon" Rumple told her, "I just came to remind you..." he went on but then Cass cut in, "No leaving the village, and be back home before dark, I know Papa" she said, Rumple nodded, "Good. Now I must be off" he said, he then loosened his hold of Cass and made her let go of him, she backed up slightly and looked up at her father, "Be good now" he told her and in a puff of smoke he was gone, Cass stared at the spot her father had just been and then wondered on off towards the library to find a good book. She picked out one of her favorite's; 'Her Handsome Hero' and then went to sit on the window seat, with her feet up._

 _She couldn't remember dozing off but suddenly Cass felt herself wake with a start, the book she was reading was still open across her legs, she closed the book and then thought back to what it was that had woken her up. She couldn't quite remember but she had a feeling it was do with distant music. After a moment she heard it again, the soft and gentle tune from some kind of flute, Cass then felt herself become almost entranced by it and without thinking she found herself getting up from the seat, opening the window and climb out of it. When her feet touched the ground she followed the music, walking in the direction of the village, where she found other children in the same trance like state following the music also, Cass wondered on with the others, all heading towards the forest._

It was a while later when Pan came back, he walked in carrying a bowl of something and placed it down in front of Cass, she looked down at the think, liquid substance and then back up at Pan, "Eat up" he told her, "What's in it? Poison?" she said stubbornly back, Pan smirked "I have no reason to kill you, Cass" he told her, "You had no reason to have me kidnapped either, but you did!" she retorted back, "Actually I did have reasons" he replied, Cass frowned, "Why then?" she asked, Pan didn't answer, he just indicated the food, "Eat" he repeated, Cass continued to frown, she then reached out and made it seem like she was about to pick up the bowl, but she tipped it sideways and let the contents spill out onto the ground, Cass stared at Pan the whole time, "Oops..." she said bluntly, Pan only smirked, "Very well, have it your way" he said and then turned and walked back out. Cass watched as he went and then looked down at the spilled contents and sighed slightly, wishing now she hadn't done that, she'd only been trying to show Pan that he couldn't tell her what to do, but she was hungry, suddenly her stomach rumbled, she placed her hand onto it and then lent back against the box behind her just as the guard came back in to keep watch on her. 

_Rumple arrived back at the castle sometime later, he expected to find Cass either asleep in bed or curled up in the library somewhere, but when he went to her bedroom he found the bed unoccupied, same with the library, Rumple frowned slightly as he began searching the castle for her, looking behind every curtain, inside every cupboard; he checked everywhere he knew Cass could fit into or behind. After finding no trace of her anywhere he began to fear the worst, when suddenly he heard the faint sound of soft flute music playing in the distance, he frowned angrily, he knew that sound, had heard it before when Baelfire had followed it. Without a second thought he followed the music, out of the castle and towards the forest._

 _It took some time but he finally arrived at a small clearing, where there was a group of children all dancing around a fire, Rumple went straight over and began searching for his daughter, "Cass?..." he cried over and over, checking every child he got a hold of but he couldn't find Cass, he then saw the figure playing the music and he frowned as he strolled over and pulled back their hood, "Pan!" he said firmly, "Hello laddie" Pan said smugly, "What are you doing here?" Rumple replied firmly still, "Gathering more friends" Pan told him, "We lost a few lately, I'm just...regaining the numbers" Rumple frowned, "Well you're not taking Cass!" he said to him, Pan smirked, "Ah yes" Pan said, he then looked over at the group of children just as Cass danced passed them, laughing with the others, having the time of her life, "Funny isn't it" Pan said "Both your son and daughter can hear the music. It's almost like...their agar to get away" Rumple watched Cass as she danced with the others, completely oblivious to everything else around her, he then looked back round at Pan, "You remember how this works Rumple" Pan said, indicating the pan he was holding, "Only those who feel lost or unloved hear it's music" Rumple continued to frown, "Let her go!" Rumple said in a warning tone, Pan smirked still, "Actually I think it might be interesting having my own granddaughter be the first ever Lost Girl" he said. There was a pause as Rumple stared at Cass again, "Tell you what, I'll give you another chance to redeem that last deal. You ask Cass whether she wants to stay here with you or come to Neverland. If she decides to stay then I promise I will never return here again. Let's see if you give her the choice or you do what you did to Baelfire" Pan said, Rumple continued to frown, "I'm making no deals with you!" he said firmly, he then turned to the group again and quickly took hold of Cass, "Papa?..." she said, "I'm sorry Cass..." he said and then he waved his hand and next thing she knew Cass was back in the castle._

 _Rumple appeared beside her, "Papa...what happened? What did you do?" she asked him, "I was protecting you Cass" he told her, "But...I just..." she said began, "Cass, he would of hurt you" Rumple told her, "It's for your own good" Rumple then turned away, "Who's Baelfire, Papa?" she asked him, Rumple stopped in his tracks and then slowly turned to face her again, "Where did you hear that name?" he asked, "From Pan. He told me everything. He said he would make a deal with you, to see if I would come home. He told me what happened last time with Baelfire...who is that Papa?" Cass said, Rumple said nothing for a moment and just stared at his daughter, "No one...it's no one" he said simply, "Pan was lying to you, that is what he does" Cass frowned slightly, Rumple then went over to a cupboard and took something out of it, he then stood with his back to Cass for a moment and then turned round with a goblet in his hand and walked over to Cass, "Here, drink this up" he told her, Cass looked at the goblet and then back up at Rumple, "Why Papa?" she asked him, "Just...please Cass" he said, Cass then nodded and she took the goblet from him and drank up the contents. She felt her mind go fuzzy for a moment and she closed her eyes, and then looked up at her father, "Papa! Your home!" she cried excitedly and then hugged him, he held her gently back, "Yes. I'm back" he said softly, "Are you home for long this time, Papa?" she asked him, "Yes, I believe so" he told her, Cass smiled brightly as she hugged him again, Rumple sighed to himself, he wished he hadn't had to do what he did, but he couldn't have Cass knowing about Baelfire, and what he had done to his son._

Cass must have dozed off because suddenly she felt herself woken abruptly by the sound of drums and flute music coming from outside the cabin, she craned her neck to try seeing out but it was no good. Suddenly it all went quiet and the guard who was standing by the entrance fell backwards onto the ground, Cass frowned slightly as she stared at him, she then slowly and carefully shuffled over towards him, she checked his pulse and saw he was just out cold, and then she had an idea. Carefully as she could she reached her bound hands over him and slipped out a knife from his belt, she then angled it to the rope on her wrists and began sawing herself free. It took some time but finally the bonds fell away, she then cut her feet loose and then stood up, still keeping hold of the knife she edged her way to the entrance and peered out.

All around the campsite she saw Lost Boys out cold on the ground; she frowned at this and then slowly began to make her way out. She then stopped dead; standing in the middle of the campsite was Pan, and opposite him was her father and Neal, holding a crossbow. Cass stared at them all, wide eyed with shock, "Cass?" Neal said as he spotted her, "Neal?..." she said in shock, "This is a real family reunion" Pan said smugly, "What are you waiting for?" Rumple whispered to Neal, "I got this!" Neal said and he fired the crossbow, aiming it at Pan, who caught the arrow inches before he struck him, "Clever. But we've been through this before Baelfire! You remembered nothing!" Pan said, "I remembered plenty! That's why I didn't coat the tip" Neal told him, Pan dropped the arrow and looked at his hand, it glowed blue and then Pan became completely paralyzed, "Grab Henry!" Rumple said to Neal, who ran across the camp and picked up Henry who was lying out cold on the ground, "Come on, Cass" Neal said and she hurried with him over to Rumple, "Well how about that. I'm impressed!" Pan said, "But are you sure you're really saving him Bae!" they all looked back round at Pan, "What can be worse than leaving him here with you?" Neal said simply, "Why don't you ask your father?" Pan told him, Cass frowned and then looked round at Rumple, "Sometimes the people we should fear the most are the ones closest to us" Pan added, "What's he talking about?..." Cass and Neal both asked, "Don't listen to him!" Rumple said simply, "You mean you haven't told them!" Pan said smugly, "Told us what?..." Cass asked, "Why about the Prophecy of course" Pan told them, "What Prophecy? What does he mean?" Neal asked, "The Prophecy that says you've been tricked!" Pan said, "Your father isn't here to rescue your son, Baelfire! He's here to murder him!" Cass frowned as she stared at Pan and then looked round at Rumple, but before she could say anything Rumple waved his hand and they all disappeared from the camp and appeared on another part of the island.

Neal placed Henry gently on the ground and Cass sat down beside him, "What the hell was he talking about?" Neal asked firmly, "Ah don't mind him" Rumple said simply, "He said you were going to murder Henry!" Neal retorted back, "He plays games, mind games. The important thing is we got the boy and Cass, and we got away" Rumple told him, Cass watched them both, "Where are we?" she asked Rumple, "The other side of the island. We're safe here for the time being" Rumple told them, Neal then came over to where Cass was and knelt down beside Henry also, "Hey, hey Henry. It's me, hey it's your dad" he said as he pushed his hair back, "No, he can't hear you" Rumple said, "Then wake him up" Neal said, "Pulling him out of the spell could be dangerous. He'll wake naturally in a few hours, he'll be fine" Rumple told him, Cass then frowned slightly, "Why was I not affected?" she asked curiously, "Because of your magic" Rumple told her, "But...I don't have my magic now" she said and then pushed back her sleeve to show the cuff on her wrist, "Tamara put this on me when we landed here, it stops me from using my magic" she explained, "You may not be able to use your magic, but it's still in you Cass" Rumple told her, he then walked over to Cass and he removed the cuff from her wrist, Cass rubbed her wrist slightly, "Thanks..." she said gratefully, she then looked over at Neal, "I...I thought you were dead...Emma told us Tamara shot you" she said to him, "Yeah well...I'm good at surviving" he said, Cass smiled, she hugged Neal and he hugged her back, he then stood up again and walked over to Rumple, Cass stayed down beside Henry, "Alright. Now you can explain what the hell Pan meant" Neal said to Rumple, "This Prophecy he's talking about, why would he say you'd kill Henry?" he asked, "I don't know, to create I wedge between us" Rumple said, "That's not a denial" Neal said, "No, this has to do with what happened when I found you" he added, Cass frowned slightly as she listened, "You thought I was a hallucination. You said you had to do the right thing and save Henry, what did that mean?" Neal said firmly now, "Baelfire..." Rumple said, "It's Neal!" he shouted, "Now stop dodging and tell me what's going on!" Neal shouted still. There was silence for a moment; Cass looked from Rumple to Neal, feeling both scared and curious, "There was a Seer" Rumple began to explain, "She told me of a Prophecy, that a boy would help reunite me with you. And that boy...would be my undoing" Cass stared in shock now, as she pieced it altogether, "Henry..." she said fearfully, "I didn't know he was going to be my own grandson, till I found you in New York, Bae and discovered you were his father" Rumple said, "You were planning on getting rid of him, whoever he was weren't you?" Neal said, Cass gasped as this, "No..." she whispered fearfully, "To try and cheat fate, to get around the Prophecy? You cold blooded, son of a bitch!" Neal said, "You were going to kill him...?" Cass said, tears in her eyes now, "Yes..." Rumple said sadly, "Get back!" Neal said, as he moved away from Rumple, "Stay away from him!" he added firmly, "That was then! Things have changed! I didn't come here to Neverland to hurt Henry! I came here to save him!" Rumple said, "From what you just told me, I'm supposed to believe you!" Neal said, "I won't lie to you Bae...self-preservation has been a nasty habit I have had my whole life, but I came here to break it, to do the right thing. To save your son, even if that meant sacrificing my own life" Rumple tried to explain, "You both have to trust me..." Rumple added, "How can we? Neal said, he then walked over to where Cass was and sat down in front of her and Henry.

Cass looked at Neal and then over at Rumple, her hand laid protectively over Henry, "Tell me what I have to do to gain your trust and I will?" Rumple asked, "Give me the dark one dagger" Neal told him, "I know you. I know you wouldn't come all the way to Neverland without it. It's the only thing that can control you; it's the only thing that can stop you. You wouldn't take any chances with it" Neal said, "I don't have it!" Rumple said, "Why are you lying?" Neal said, "I'm not lying. I hid it. So Pan couldn't get it. So he couldn't stop me!" Rumple said, "So unhide it" Cass said, "My shadow took it..." Rumple said, "Shadow! Man, you got an answer for everything don't you" Neal said as he stood up again, "I'm telling you the truth, I swear!" Rumple told him, "Yeah, maybe you did hide it, maybe you do want to do the right thing. That's today! What about Tomorrow?" Neal said, "I've changed..." Rumple said, "Have you?" Neal asked, "Yes!" Rumple replied, "The Prophecy still stands though. You save Henry he's still your undoing" Cass said, "I am still willing to die for him" Rumple told them both, "What happens if we get back? And you're reunited with Belle. And you realize that the only thing standing between you and your happy ending is my son. And suddenly undoing doesn't sound so great" Neal said to him, "Your my happy ending. This is, because it's my redemption. I can be strong son, if you have faith in me" Rumple told him. Cass glanced down slightly, Neal then took hold of Rumple's hand, "You know when I was living here and sleeping in a cave. I used to dream of you coming to rescue me. But then I'd wake up and remember how you left me behind" Neal said to him, "No..." Rumple said, "You left your own son behind for the power of that dagger, how can I think things could be any different?" Neal then backed away from Rumple, letting go of his hand. Suddenly a blue glow formed around Rumple, "Neal..." Rumple said fearfully, "What are you doing?" Neal then walked over to the others and picked up Henry, placing him over his shoulder, "Come on Cass" he said and she instantly stood up beside him, "I'm going to find Emma and the others and get the hell off this island" Neal told Rumple, "And I'm going to get my family back home!" Neal then walked passed Rumple and towards the trees, Cass followed behind him, "You can't go into the jungle alone! Without my power to protect you, Pan will capture you all!" Rumple said firmly, "I'm sorry, I got no choice" Neal said "We're all safer without you. Goodbye Papa" Neal then turned around and walked off into the trees, "Cass...please!" Rumple cried, Cass looked at Neal and then round at her father, "Sorry Papa...he's right..." she said and then hurried after Neal.

They walked through the trees for some time and finally they came to a small clearing that was set up like a camp site, Neal placed Henry gently onto the ground and then went over to examine a fire pit, "Emma..." he whispered, "They were here?" Cass asked, "You were so close to finding her" Pan's voice came from in the trees and both Neal and Cass spun round to see him striding into the clearing, "You disappoint me. I thought I taught you better. Never break in somewhere unless you know the way out" Pan said to Neal, Cass looked round to see the Lost Boys surrounding them from all directions, "I'll remember that for next time" Neal said, "There isn't going to be a next time" Pan said, Cass then saw the tall boy walk over to Henry, she held up her hand and shot a flash of white light at him but it missed, "I see someone has their magic back" Pan said, "Cass get out of here!" Neal said to her, "No..." Cass said fearfully, "GO!" Neal said again, more firmly, Cass then looked round as one of the boys came towards her, she then shut her eyes tightly and teleported herself away, when she opened her eyes again she found herself on a different part of the island, "I'm sorry..." she whispered softly, tears leaked from her eyes and she fell onto her knees and put her head in her hands.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Cass sat on the ground, sobbing into her hands when suddenly she heard someone behind her, she gasped and spun round as she got to her feet, a moment later Pan walked into the clearing, Cass frowned, "Where's Henry, and Neal?" she said firmly, Pan only smirked, "You would be with them now, if you hadn't left them" Pan said simply, "Your so like your father Cass, abandoning those you love" Cass frowned, "I'm not! I didn't want to leave them!" she retorted back, "And yet, you did" Pan said, Cass continued to frown, "It won't make any difference, you can't hide from me Cass" Pan told her, "Yeah…well I can try!" Cass said, she then shot a flash of white magic at Pan and then teleported away instantly.

She appeared outside a small cave; she quickly looked around and then hurried inside. It was quite dark in the cave; she looked around for something to light, and found half a coconut with a candle stump inside it. Gently, she blew at the wick and a tiny flame flickered to light, Cass smiled and then held up the light as she looked around the cave. It was fairly small, but it appeared as if someone had once stayed here; on the wall looked like it had been made into a kind of bed, Cass went over to examine this and found markings on the wall, like tally marks, Cass ran her hand over these and frowned slightly, 'Who on earth lives here?' she thought. After a moment she stepped back and looked around the cave again, searching for something, anything that would be useful to her, but there was nothing that looked like it could fashion into a weapon, Cass sighed and then she thought of something, 'This place is built on belief, maybe…' Cass closed her eyes tight and thought hard. Nothing happened for a moment and then suddenly she felt something in her hand, Cass opened her eyes and to her shock saw she was now holding a bow, a quiver of arrows had also appeared on her back, Cass smiled brightly, she then took out an arrow and knotted it into her quiver, she slowly made her was out of the cave and into the trees, bow at the ready. As she began to walk there was a sudden flash of white light in front of her eyes; next thing she knew she was staring at a completely different part of the island.

 _In front of her was a boy, probably around her own age, she then noticed she was holding a stick in her hand, "You just need to believe Henry" came Pan's voice behind her, making Cass realizing she was seeing through her brothers eyes, she felt someone lift Henry's arm up, "Close your eyes and believe your holding a real sword" Pan whispered, it went black for a moment as Henry closed his eyes and when she could see again Cass noticed Henry was now holding a sword instead of the stick, "Well, what are you waiting for?" Pan cried, Cass wished she could speak to Henry, tell him not to do it or even better still control his actions but she couldn't and she had to sit in Henry's mind as he fought with the boy in front of him, all the while the others around him were cheering him on, Henry managed to chop at the stick the boy was holding, he then hit out so hard that he struck the boy in the face, the boy keeled over and when he came back up he was clutching a scratch on his cheek, "I'm sorry, it was an accident!" Henry said worriedly, Pan then came over to Henry, "Henry, Don't you know the best thing about being a Lost Boy? Never apologize" Pan told him, he picked up the fallen sword which Henry had dropped and passed it to him._

Cass gasped as she came out of her vision and stared straight ahead, so worried about her brother, she had to get him out of there, before Pan made him into a Lost Boy too. Determined now, she clutched tightly at her quiver and continued on through the trees. Suddenly she heard something nearby, she took an arrow from her quiver and knotted it into her bow, readying for an attack, suddenly a dark shadow came swooping down in front of her, Cass stared in fear at it, know what that thing was capable of, she was about to run but then stopped, suddenly realizing the shadow made no move towards her, it just floated in mid-air, staring at Cass, she stared straight back at it, and then it was like a lightbulb had flicked on in her brain, as she remembered what her father had told her and Neal, about his shadow and how he had sent it away with his dagger. Cass stared at the shadow in front of her, "Papa…?" she whispered softly, but of course the shadow said nothing, then as quickly as it had appeared it swooped up into the sky and flew away, Cass watched it go, wondering where the shadow was going, what if it was on its way back to Rumple with the information it had seen her, Cass shook herself and then turned her head away from the sky and carried on walking.

Cass carried on walking through the trees, her bow still out in front of her. Eventually she came to a treehouse, frowning she moved closer to it, suddenly something lunged at her from the side and she was caught off guard and thrown onto the ground, her bow fell out of her hand and landed a good few inches out of her reach. She looked up at her attacker; it was a woman, she looked fairly young, she wore an old, ragged green dress and her blond hair was pinned up into a messy bun, "Who are you? And what do you want?" the women said firmly, Cass stared fearfully, more about the arrow the women was holding a few inches over her neck, "My names Cass" she told the women, "I'm looking for my brother, Henry. Pan took him" she told her, the women retreated slightly but still kept Cass pinned to the ground, "You're looking for the boy too?" the women said, "Too?" Cass asked curiously, the women nodded, "A group have already tried to get me to lead the way into Pans camp" the women told her, Cass said nothing for a moment, "Can you let me up now?" she asked, the women retreated back and Cass sat up, "Who are you?" Cass asked her, "Tinkerbell" the women said, "Can you get into Pan's camp?" Cass asked her, "Yes, but don't try to convince me to help you. I already told the others I'm not helping them do anything unless they have a way of getting off this island" Tink said, Cass sighed slightly, "Your mad if you think you can face Pan alone" Tink said, after a moment of silence, Cass looked up at her, "I came here to protect Henry, and I will find him" Cass said determinedly, Tink stared at her, as if she were trying to figure something out, "Who are you?" Tink asked, "Cass" the girl told her, "Yes, but who are you?" Tink said again, "Well…" Cass began, unsure of how much she should say, "You might know my brother, he lived here a while ago, for some time. Baelfire" Cass told her, "Bae? He's your brother?" Tink said, Cass nodded "Well half-brother, really" she said, Tink stared at her for a moment, "You do have the same eyes" she told her, "Pan has him too" Cass told Tink, "When we tried to save Henry before Pan caught us, I managed to get away but he took them both" Cass explained, "How on earth did you get away?" Tink asked, "My magic" Cass told her, "You have magic?" Tink asked, "Yeah, but I'm still learning. I can't do really big magic yet" Cass told her, Tink nodded, "I'm still not going to help. Not unless any of you can find a way off this island" Tink told her, "To be honest, I would give up now, that boy is as good as gone" Tink said, Cass frowned, "I can't give up on my brother. I made a promise I would always protect him, I'm not giving up on him now" she said, Tink just shrugged, "Suit yourself, but I'm not playing in part in it" Tink said, she then turned towards the treehouse, "Would you mind…" Cass called out, "If I stayed for a bit, I've been walking around for hours" she asked, Tink looked back, nodded and then climbed up into the treehouse, Cass smiled, she then picked up her bow, stood up and then followed Tink. Cass climbed up to the top of the treehouse and looked around; it was small but comfortable looking, "You live here?" she asked, Tink nodded, "Just sit down anywhere" she told the girl, Cass nodded and went over to one end of the treehouse and perched down on the floor. She soon felt her eyes droop slightly and decided just to rest her head for a moment, she down on the hard wooden floor, putting her hands under her head and she watched Tink milling about for a moment, then slowly her eyes closed a little, she gave a small yawn and then finally she felt herself falling fast asleep.

When Cass woke again, she was confused for a moment, forgetting where she was. She hadn't realized just how tired she had been. She sat up slowly and looked around, as she took in the treehouse everything came flooding back to her, she gasped and checked her watch, to find it had stopped working, she frowned for a moment and then it hit her that being in a place where time stands still her watch was bound to have stopped. Cass looked for Tink but she was nowhere to be seen, she then picked up her bow and made her way down to the ground again and set off into the trees, continuing her search.

After walking for some time she suddenly heard voices up ahead of her, Cass tensed herself, as she drew an arrow from her quiver and knotted it into the bow, and then she slowly edged her way slowly towards the voices. She sprang out from the trees, ready for fire, only to find herself facing; Snow, David, Emma, Hook and Neal. They all turned when she appeared, "Cass?" Snow said in surprise, "Cass!" Neal said with relief, "Neal!" Cass cried and she let her bow drop and she ran over to him, they hugged tightly, "I'm sorry…I didn't want to leave you…" she said softly, "It's okay, I told you too" he said to her. They drew apart and Hook broke the silence, "We found your star map. So the real question is, do you know how to get off this island?" he asked Neal, "If we can find Henry, I can get us home" Neal told them, "Then let's go get Tinkerbell and…retrieve the boy" Hook said, he then turned and headed off into the trees, Cass bent down and picked up her bow again, Snow then came across to Cass and placed her arm around her as she walked with her after Hook. They walked through the trees a little then David caught up to them, "Look, I know I should have told you…" David said to Snow, "Don't! Just…not now" Snow interrupted, she then walked on ahead with Cass, and the girl looked back at David, frowning slightly, she then looked over at Snow, wondering what had happened.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Present: Normal

 _Flashback: Italics_

They were all gathered together back at the camp, and Neal had just finished explaining his idea for the escape, "Pan's shadow? That's your way off the island?" Emma said doubtfully, "Unfortunately it's the only way" Neal said, "We thought you learned how to navigate the stars?" David asked, "I know how to navigate the star. But I can't fly" Neal said, "So that's why we need the shadow?" Cass said, Neal nodded, "That's why we have to capture it" Neal said, "Capture it? We've never been within ten feet of Pan unless he wanted us to be!" Emma said, still sounding doubtful, "Sneaking up on him to steal his shadow, that sounds insane" she added, "Except Pan's shadow is rarely with him" Hook intervened, "it's an entity onto itself, it can carry out his will from miles away" he told them, "What's that mean for us?" David asked, "It means we can get his shadow without being anywhere near Pan. So long as we know where to look. I know where to look" Neal said, "Okay, then you and I are on shadow duty" Emma said and she stood up, ready for action, "As am I" Hook put in, "This trek won't be easy, you could use another vitrine of the island" Neal nodded, "Thanks man" Neal said, "I'll come too" Cass piped up, Neal then turned to her, "No, Cass you stay here with David and Mary Margaret" he told her, "But I can help, I'm getting better with my magic, it might be useful" she said, "Cass…please, just do this for. Stay here" Cass sighed but nodded, "Alright, well in the mean time we'll give Tinkerbell a heads up" David said, "See if she can make good on her promise to get us into Pan's camp" he went on, "Okay, we'll meet back at Tinks" Emma said, "Then we get Henry and get the hell back to Storybrooke" she then went off to get ready, Snow stood up, after refusing David's help and not saying a word to him, Cass frowned, "What's happened between you and Snow?" she asked him curiously, "Ah…it's complicated…I kind of never told her I can never leave the island" he said, Cass frowned, "How?" she asked, "I got shot with Dreamshade. I used the fountain water to cure it, but it comes with a cost. If I leave I'll die" he explained, Cass bit her lip slightly and then looked over at Snow, David then went on over to her, Cass watched them for a moment and then went to get herself organised.

Cass had just placed her quiver over her shoulder when Neal walked up to her, "Hey" he said, she turned towards him, "I didn't mean to sound snappy. It's just…your my little sister…it's my job to protect you" Cass smiled slightly, "I know…and it's great you care…it's just…since Henry was little I always said I would protect him. I just want to do everything I can to help" she explained, Neal smiled, "Yeah, but sometimes you gotta know when it's all too much to handle" Cass glanced down slightly, Neal then brought her into a gentle hug and she hugged him back, "Be careful Cass" he whispered, "And don't worry, we'll find Henry" he added, Cass withdrew from the hug, "I just hope we find him before our father does…" she said, Neal raised his head slightly, "Have you told them?" she said, nudging her head towards the others, Neal shook his head, "I don't want to give them anymore to worry about" he said, Cass nodded slightly and gave a small smile, Neal smiled back and then wondered off across the camp, Cass watched him for a moment as Hook went over to speak to him, Cass then took out one of her arrow and knotted it in her bow, she then aimed towards a tree and shot. The arrow hit the truck straight in the middle, Cass smiled slightly, "Nice one" Snow said, the girl turned her head, "Well I had a good teacher" she said, "You were a good student" Snow added, Cass smiled again, "If it weren't for you Cass, I could of died that day we met" Snow said to her, "You saved me" Cass glanced down at the ground shyly, Snow put her arm around her for a moment before walking on over to Emma, Cass then went back to practicing her shooting.

 _Cass was riding through the forest on Charlie, happily taking in her surroundings, when she heard a commotion up ahead, frowning she edged Charlie on slowly and stopped him as the edge of some trees, and peered round one of them. On the road ahead she seen a couple of the queen's guard's circling someone, as she watched more closely she saw that it was Snow White. She recognised her from the wanted posters stuck up all over the villages. Cass watched as one of the guards took hold of Snow and the other went to drew out his sword, Cass bit her lip and looked around for something to use, she glanced upwards and saw the tree she was beside was full of apples, smirking she got an idea. Slowly, and quickly as she could she climbed up into the tree and picked as many apples as she could. She then climbed back down onto Charlie and rode him as close as she could, but still hidden enough so as not to be seen, she then held her arm back and took her aim. With all the force she had she threw one of the apples and it hit the sword wielding guard on the back of the head, she then threw another and it hit him again, this time making his fall over. Cass then took aim at the other guard and successfully hit him too, she then rode out from the trees and stopped beside Snow, "Climb on!" she cried, Snow didn't need told twice, she heaved herself up onto Charlies back, Cass then gave him a small kick, and they were off._

 _Cass rode Charlie on until they had given themselves enough distance between them and the two guards, she then pulled Charlie to a halt and Snow slid on down from the house, Cass came down beside her, "Thank you" Snow said gratefully, Cass smiled "It's alright, I couldn't just sit there and let them kill you. Snow White" she said, "I recognised you from the posters" Cass added, Snow nodded, "Can I know the name of my rescuer?" she asked, "Cass. Just Cass" she said, "Well, just Cass. Thank you, you saved my life" Snow said, Cass smiled and looked down at the ground shyly._

Cass, Snow and David began to make their way towards Tinks tree house, Cass was a little in front, "Am okay…" she heard Snow say behind her, "Are you?! Because you've hardly said two words to me since the caves" David said, Cass stopped and looked back at them both, "Hell since yesterday" David went on, "Look, I know your upset I didn't tell you I was poisoned, and even though it might seem like it wasn't fair that's all I was trying to do. Be fair" David told her, Cass looked from him to Snow; she didn't even look at David, "I think…Tinkerbelle's is that way!" Snow said and then walked on ahead, Cass watched her go and then looked round at David, "Give it some time" Cass said to him, "She'll come round" David sighed slightly, "I'm not so sure…" he said and then walked on the way Snow had just gone, Cass sighed to herself before following David.

They walked for a good while in silence, "I think…we're almost at Tinks" David announced, breaking the silence at last, Cass was still walking behind both of them, "I can see why she picked this area" David went on, trying so hard to get Snow to talk to him, "Nice, quiet jungle. Might make a good spot for a hunt, don't you think?" he said, Cass could only see the back of Snow's head, but she knew she was getting more and more frustrated, "Or…a tree house if you prefer…Mary Margaret!" David said, but Snow continued to walk on, saying nothing, "SNOW!" David shouted now, Cass hung back slightly not wanting to get in the middle of this, though of course she could still hear every word, "When are you going to start talking to me again? When we're storming Pan's camp? When we're saving Henry? When?!" David cried, "You need to say something!" Cass felt slightly awkward now as she still hung back a little, "Why?!" she heard Snow say firmly, "You didn't! You didn't tell me anything!" she said to him, "Alright…at first I was hoping to find a cure for the poison, and if I could I figured there would be no reason to worry" David told her, "Okay…but you did find a cure! And you still didn't tell me!" Snow retorted back, "I know…" David said softly, "So what, you were afraid to worry me again?!" Snow said, still frantically, "No I..I.I.I.I didn't…" David stammered, "No you didn't! You didn't think! You didn't think I had a right to know you could never leave this island! Why didn't you tell me?" Snow cried, "I was scared!" David cried.

Cass listened to this, still standing out of sight; tears filled her eyes now as she listened, "Did you think I wouldn't stay here with you?" Snow asked, "After everything we've been through. Did you think I would ever leave your side?" Snow went on, "No…I knew you wouldn't, that's what scared me! And I didn't want that for you, I didn't want you to be stuck on this island with me! The price of this cure was something I didn't want to force on you" David told her, "Love means being together" Snow said, "I know…it also means sacrifice" David said, "And protecting the person you love, how could…a part of me not want you to leave this place" he added, "A would happily build a tree house, and spend the rest of my days dodging poison arrows and Lost Boys, as long as I had you by my side!" Snow told him. There was silence for a moment, Cass felt the tears flowing down her cheeks now, "But you should have told me…" Snow said softly now, "I know…I'm sorry…" David said softly too. There was another pause and then Snow spoke again, "You didn't believe….David. You needed to believe in us…" she said, Cass hesitated for a moment and then finally she walked over to them, finally coming into view, she saw them both hugging, Snow and David looked over at her, "Cass…sorry…you shouldn't have to had to heard all that…" Snow said, Cass smiled slightly, "I'm just happy you two are speaking again" she told them, Snow smiled and then went over to Cass and put her arm around her, "Come on…Tinks place is just up ahead" David told them, the three of them all headed onwards.

 _Cass was sat with Snow back at the cottage, Snow was busy serving up a couple bowls of soup, "There you are" she said as she placed one of the bowls in front of Cass, the girl smiled, "Thanks" she said, as she picked up a spoon and began to sip at it slowly, blowing on the contents occasionally to cool it down, Snow sat down next to Cass, "So, I haven't seen you around here before" Snow said, Cass thought for a moment, "Well…I usually tended to ride around the village mostly, I don't often come into the forest" she said, "Where do you live?" Snow asked kindly, "On the other side of the forest, in the next village" Cass told her, "Don't you parents worry about you wondering off into the forest?" Snow asked, "Well…it's just me and my father…and he's away a lot…for work" Cass said, trying hard not to spill too much about her life, "What does he do?" Snow asked, Cass was silent for a moment, "Mostly…peddling" Cass said, "He deals in different artefacts" Cass lied, Snow nodded and then eat up a little more of her soup._

 _Afterwards Snow cleared away the bowls and then picked up her bow and quiver, Cass watched her, "I've got to go out hunting" she told Cass, "The food doesn't finds itself" Cass nodded slightly, she then got up, "Do you want to come?" Snow asked, "Oh…I can't shoot…" Cass said, "Okay, well I'll teach you" Snow told her, she then went and got another bow and quiver for Cass, "Come on, we'll have a practice outside" she said, Snow then headed on out of the cottage, Cass examined the bow for a minute and then put the quiver over her shoulder and followed Snow out._

They arrived at Tinkerbelle's camp to find her nowhere to be seen, "Should we go look for her?" Cass asked them, "No, she'll be back" David said, Snow then indicated behind him and they all looked round to see Tink coming out of the trees, "I was wondering if I'd see you again" she said as she looked at them all, "But if you've come to talk me into helping you, before you've found a way off this island I still…" she began, David then interrupted, "We've found one" he said, "Or we're about too" he added, "Not sure I like the sound off 'about too'" Tink said, "Pan's shadow" Snow said "Emma went with Hook and Neal to capture it, that's our way off the island" Cass added, "Capture Pan's shadow! Yeah, I'm not lifting a finger until I've seen some proof that you've actually succeeded!" Tink said, just as there was a noise from the trees behind her, they all turned towards it, "Hey…" came Neal's voice, "Here's all the proof you need" he said, holding up what looked like a coconut shell, "Been a long time Tink" he added to her, "Bae? Is it really you?" she asked, surprised, "Yeah. Most people call me Neal now" he told her, "We did it!" Hook intervened, "Are you finally ready to do your part, Tink?" he asked her, "Yes. Yes I am!" she said after a moment, she then turned and headed on into the trees, Cass glanced at the others and then went with them after Tink, she heard Neal call for Emma but payed no attention and kept on walking with the others.

They walked on for some time, Cass was at the back of the group with Neal and Emma, Snow and David were right in front of them, "I'm going to ask Tink how close we are to Pan's compound. I don't want to be surprise by any Lost Boys on patrol" David said, "Good idea" Snow said, David then hurried on ahead to the start of the group, Emma caught up to Snow to walked beside her, "Looks like you two buried the hatchet" Emma said to her, Cass and Neal then walked passed them, giving them some space. They eventually came to a small clearing, there was the sound of snapping twigs up ahead, everyone readied themselves; Hook, David, Emma and Snow all drew out their swords, Tink pulled out a knife and Cass stood beside Neal, watching fearfully. A moment later Regina appeared from out of the trees, followed by Rumple. Cass tensed slightly and exchanged glances with Neal, knowing he was thinking the same thing, "Well, if this is your version of a rescue party, we got here just in time" Regina said, "What are you two doing here?" Snow asked, "Same as you, except we actually have a chance" Regina told them, "Pandora's box" she said, indicating the small box Rumple was holding, Cass glanced at it and then looked at her father, "It can trap Pan for eternity, simply by opening the lid" Regina explained, "You never told me my father was with her" Cass heard Neal whisper to Emma, "I didn't know…" she told him, "Wait, your father is the Dark One?" Tink asked, "Yeah, and he's not getting anywhere near Henry!" Neal said firmly, Cass glanced at Neal and then looked back at Rumple, "Bae…" Rumple sighed, "Why, what are you talking about?" Emma asked, "There's a prophecy that says Henry will be his undoing" Cass told them, "He didn't come here to protect him, he came here to kill him" Neal added. Everyone looked startled now and all eyes turned to Rumple, "That's why you didn't want to find Neal and Cass before we got Henry back, because you knew they'd spill your secret!" Regina said firmly, "Everything I did was to protect Henry!" Rumple said firmly, "To rescue him from Pan!" Cass frowned slightly, "It all makes sense!" Emma said, holding up her sword, "You left before we even made sure!" she added, "You wanted to get to Henry first!" Snow said, aiming her bow, "To be on his own!" David added, holding out his sword, "So no one could stop you!" Hook said, "So you could kill him!" Regina finished, Cass looked round at them all and then over at her father, "It's not going to happen! Not unless you go through all of us first!" Emma said firmly.

Everyone bar Neal, Cass, Tink and Regina all stood pointed their weapons at Rumple, ready to strike, "Your making a mistake" Rumple said simply, "I don't care if the boy is destined to be my undoing, I won't hurt him" he told them, Cass frowned slightly, "Because that sounds just like you" Regina said, almost sarcastically, "Without me, you will fail! I'm the most powerful amongst us" Rumple said, "That's why we can't trust you" Cass said to him, "If I could give you my dagger I would, but I can't" Rumple said, "But you can give us Pandora's box" Neal said, Cass looked at Neal and then at her father, "Neal's right, we don't have to trust you if we can stop you" Cass said, "Bae…Cass…" Rumple sighed, Cass continued to frown at him, and Rumple reluctantly handed over the box to Neal, "Look at me!" Neal said, Rumple looked up to meet his eyes, "So much as lift a finger to perform magic, you're going to spend an eternity in this box" he told him, Cass watched Neal place the box into his satchel, "Let's go!" Emma said and they all walked onwards, Cass kept close to Neal and as they followed the others Rumple stopped them in their tracks, "Look…you may think you know who you're up against…but you don't" Rumple told them, "Then tell us" Cass said, "What really happened between you too?" Neal added, "Peter Pan, destroyed my father…" Rumple said, Cass frowned slightly, she glanced at Neal and then he ushered her on and they hurried on after the others.

 _Cass stood posed with the bow, Snow stood slightly behind her, "Alright, now aim at that tree trunk there" she told the her, Cass did as she said and shut one eye to get a better vision point, she then shot the arrow but missed, Cass sighed slightly, "It's alright, just try again" Snow told her, Cass nodded and drew out another arrow and readied it again, she aimed once more at the tree trunk, taking time to really focus on her target. She shot the arrow and, yes! It hit the trunk, a little to the side but still, "Nice job" Snow said proudly, "Your pretty good for a first timer" Cass smiled at her, "Come on, let's see how you are on the hunt" she said, and they headed off into the trees, bows at the ready._

They continued to follow Tink through the jungle; Regina at the front, then Snow and David, followed by Hook and Emma and taking up the rear was Neal, Cass and Rumple. Cass walked a little ahead of Rumple and Neal, "We need to talk" Emma said to Hook as she caught up to him, "I feel when a women says that, I'm rarely in for a pleasant conversation" Hook replied, "There has to be a way for David to leave the island" Emma said, "Well there isn't!" Hook said defiantly, "He told me about your brother, what happened. I know it can't be easy to talk about" Emma said, "Then let's not shall we" Hook told her, "The water that cured David is connected to the island. If he leaves, the connection it broken and the poison will kill him" Hook told her, "What if we take some of the water with us, that way he stays connected and he can stay alive in Storybrooke" Cass interjected, Hook stopped and looked at both Emma and Cass, "How long? Once the water runs out, the Dreamshade will take his life" Hook said, Cass glanced down slightly, "Unless there was another cure" came Rumple's voice, they all looked round at him, "You suddenly interested in what I have to say, thought I wasn't to be trusted" he added as he walked passed, Emma, Cass and Hook, "You're not! But I'll take my chances" Emma said firmly, "Well if you'll remember, I too was poisoned with Dreamshade by a cowardly pirate" Rumple said, indicating to Hook, "And yet…" Emma then interrupted, "Yes, and we know how you cured yourself. With a candle that takes another person's life, David is not that selfish" she said, "How noble" Rumple said, "The point is, after my near death experience, I discovered much about the poison. I believe I can create an elixir, back in my shop" he told them, "What's your price?" Emma asked firmly, "Well this is, quite the favour. I'd expect one of equal weight in return" Rumple told her, he then turned to walk on, Cass frowned and then Neal piped up, "No!" he said as he walked over to Rumple, "When we get back to Storybrooke, you're going to save David because it's the right thing to do. No deals. No favours. Understand?" he told him, Cass looked from one to the other, she bit her lip slightly, "Fine. I'll do as you ask" Rumple said simply, "I'll go tell David" Emma said and then walked on, Neal then walked passed Rumple, as did Hook, Cass however hung back, she watched Rumple for a moment.

Just then Tink came out from beyond the trees, "We're here. Pan's perimeter" she told them, "It's time. Tink will sneak us in the back like we planned. Grab Henry, in and out, simple" Emma said, she then looked over at Neal, "You good with Pan Patrol?" she asked him, "Locked and loaded" he said, and patted his satchel. Rumple then stepped forward, "You mind if I…borrow this" he said as he went over to Hook and drew out his sword, "You said no magic, I agreed, but…I'm not walking in there with nothing but my good looks" he said, "Now I on the other hand" Hook began, "Here!" David said and tossed him a sword, "Encase your good looks fail you" Hook caught the sword, "Thanks mate" he said, "Let's get Henry" Emma said and they headed off through the trees.

They came round the back of the camp and hoovered behind the trees, watching the Lost Boys on the other side, "Can I at least use magic on these boys?" Rumple asked, Neal and Cass exchanged glances and then looked over at Rumple, "No" Neal said simply, "I'll do it!" Regina said, "You remember the spell?" Rumple asked, and Cass noticed she gave him an insulted look, she then waved her hand and in one swift motion all the Lost Boy fell onto the ground, out cold. As soon as they were all down the group emerged from the trees, Cass readied her bow, encase of an attack, "Where's Pan?" Cass said, "I dunno…" Neal said, "Henry?!" Emma cried "He's got to be somewhere" David said, "Where?" Snow said frantically.

Suddenly there was a cry of, "Help!" from the other end of the camp, they all looked in that direction; Emma and Cass were nearest, and both ran towards it. They rounded some trees to find a young girl, around Cass' age locked up in a small cage. Emma went right over to her and knelt down, "You're a…adult?" the girl said, "My names Emma, I'm looking for my son" she said. Just then Neal came running into view, he stopped dead when he saw the girl, and Rumple came after him, "Wendy?" Neal said, surprised, "Do I know you?" the girl asked, "its Baelfire!" he said, "You two know each other?" Cass asked, "Bae!" Wendy said happily, "Yeah" Neal said as he knelt in front of the cage after Emma had gotten up, "Can it really be you?" Wendy said, Neal picked up a rock and began hitting it against the lock on the cage, until it broke off and Neal opened the cage, Wendy came out and hugged Neal, "I thought I'd never see you again!" she said happily, "What are you doing here?" Neal asked, "I came back to save you" Wendy told him, "I did that for me?" he asked, "I couldn't bare for you to be without a family. Not after you told us your mother and father was both dead" she explained, "You told her I was dead?" Rumple said, Cass looked back at him and then at Neal, "It's easier than telling the truth, my own father abandoned me" Neal said simply

Neal and Emma brought Wendy back to the main part of the camp; Cass looked at Rumple for a moment before following them. Neal sat Wendy down and Snow found a blanket in one of the huts and placed it around her, Neal then sat down in front of Wendy, "Hey Wendy, since you've been here, have you seen my son? His names Henry" Neal asked her, "You have a son?" Wendy said, "Yeah. Pan needs his heart" Neal told her, "Has he said anything about the heart of the truest believer?" Emma asked, "No…I'm sorry…he never mentioned anything about a heart" Wendy said simply, "She's lying!" Rumple said firmly, "Where is he?!" Rumple then moved towards her, sword out stretched, Cass gasped and took hold of Rumple's arm, David them moved out in front of him and held him back, "What the hell are you doing?!" David said, "I've carried enough lies in my life to recognise the burden. She knows where Henry is!" Rumple told them, they all looked round at Wendy, "Is that true?" Neal asked, "You don't understand..." Wendy said fearfully, "You're helping Pan?!" Snow asked astonished, "He's keeping John and Michael alive, only if I do as he says" Wendy told them, "Trust me, whatever's he's promised, he will go back on his word" Rumple told her, Cass still had a hold of her father's arm, "And why should I trust a man who abandoned his own son?!" Wendy said firmly, "Because your brothers did" Regina told her, "They trusted a woman named Belle" at this Cass snapped her head round to Regina. Her mother was back? "They help her get this…box, so that we can defeat Pan" she explained, "They're okay?!" Wendy said, "For now. And only if we succeed" Rumple said, "Wendy…" Neal said, as he knelt back down in front of her again, "We will safe John and Michael, I swear to god. Right now…I really need your help…please" he said to her.

There was silence for a moment, "Pan told Henry that…he needs his heart to save magic" Wendy explained, "It's a lie…he needs it to save himself" Cass frowned slightly, "What do you mean?" she asked her, "Pan's dying…he needs the heart of the truest believer…to absorb all the magic in Neverland. And once he does…he will be immortal. All powerful" Wendy said, "And…what happens to Henry?" Cass asked her, "Well it's a trade…when Pan lives…Henry will die…" Wendy said, Cass' hand shot to her mouth and her eyes went wide, "How do we stop Pan?!" David asked frantically, "Pan took Henry to Skull Rock. But you haven't got much time" Wendy said, "Then we stay behind. Someone needs to stay here to guard the Lost Boys when they wake up" David said, "You don't need to stay behind" Emma said, "David's right. Get him home. Tell him we love him" Snow said, "Tell him yourself, when you get back from Dead Man's Peak" Emma said, "Gold can cure you back in Storybrooke, we just need to bring some of the water with us" Emma explained, Snow then walked over to Emma and hugged her, "You didn't give up" Snow said, Cass then saw Snow turn to Rumple who was still beside her but she had now let go off his arm, "Thank you" she said to him, "Well apparently that's the only thanks I need these days" he said simply, Cass rolled her eyes slightly, "Tink and I will take care of things here. Meet you back at the Jolly Roger when you find Henry" Hook said, "Promise me if your father and I don't make it back, you'll get him home?" Snow said to Emma, "We're all going back home. Together" Emma told them, Snow and David both headed off into the woods.

Emma, Regina, Neal and Rumple then headed off another way, Cass followed behind them but Neal stopped her, "Cass, you stay here with Hook and Tink" he told her, "No way!" she said firmly, "I'm not staying behind" Neal sighed, "Cass, it's dangerous" he told her, "I don't care. I promised once I would always be there for Henry. I'm not going back on that promise now" she told him, Neal sighed again but agreed and he and Cass both walked on to catch up with the others.

 _Cass and Snow were deep in the forest now, Snow stayed low, her bow at the ready, and Cass crouched down beside her, watching. A rabbit could be seen in the distance, Cass watched as Snow took aim and then shot the arrow out, it hit its target and Snow went to collect, Cass followed after her, "Is this what you have to do to survive?" she asked her, Snow nodded "The queen will never stop till she has my heart, I'm stuck out here. Alone, well almost alone" Snow told her, "What do you mean?" Cass asked her, "I've taken shelter with some dwarves. They allow me to stay, and in return I keep the home tidy and have supper made for them when they come from work" Snow told her, Cass smiled slightly, "Speaking of which, I'd better head on back with this" she said, indicating the rabbit, "Would you like to come?" she asked. Cass really wanted to say that she would love too, but then she knew her father would be home soon, and he would wonder where she was, "I should probably be getting back" Cass said, "But…I would like to see you again" Snow smiled, "I hope that we do see each again" Snow said, Cass smiled slightly, they then headed back to the cottage and Cass climbed up onto Charlie, "See you soon" Cass said, "I hope so" Snow replied, Cass smiled and then she gave Charlie a small kick, and rode off into the woods._

They were all in a small row boat, on their way towards Skull Rock; Rumple was sitting up front, Neal and Cass both sat in the middle, each with an oar to sail the boat and Emma and Regina were together at the back. It took some time but finally they made it and they all departed the boat. As soon as Cass set foot on land and looked around she felt magic nearby, she looked along the path and frowned slightly, "Those are Henry's shoes" Emma said, examining some foot prints, "Wendy was right. Their here." she then marched along the path without a second thought, "Emma, wait!" Cass cried, but too late, as soon as she reached the bottom step a huge force threw her backwards and she landed on the ground, "Are you okay?!" Neal cried, "I think so…" Emma said, Cass walked over to the stairs and put her hand out, she felt the energy of the force field, "What was that?!" Neal asked, "Pan cast a protection spell" Cass said, "There has to be a way to brake it" Regina said as she held up her hand, "Regina, wait!" Cass cried, but Regina had already thrown a fireball at the force field. It bounced off and was thrown back towards them, they all ducked, "Careful with that!" Neal cried, "Try all you want, but Pan's magic is too powerful!" Rumple said, "At least for you" he then walked on over to where Cass was and went straight through the force field, Cass stared wide eyed, "What…" Regina said, "How did you do that?" Emma said, "The spell is designed to keep anyone who casts a shadow from entering" Rumple told them, "And you don't have one?" Cass said to him, "I saw it, in the forest" she added, "You were telling the truth about ripping your shadow off" Neal said, "And Pan knows it. That's why he cast the spell he did. This isn't about keeping you out; it's about drawing me in. He's knows I won't give up the chance to finish what I came here to do" Rumple told them, "You really did come here to safe Henry" Neal said, "I gave you my trust with that box. Know I need you to give it back" Rumple said.

Cass looked over at Neal, who hesitated and then he reached into his satchel and took out Pandora's Box and made to give it to Rumple, but Regina grabbed it first, "Hey!" Neal said, Regina ignored him and then slowly walked over to Rumple, "You better come through Gold! Or I'll make whatever Pan has planned for you, look like child's play. You understand me?" Regina said to him, "Well a simple 'good luck' would of sufficed" Rumple said simply as he reached over and took the box from Regina, he then turned and walked on up the stairs, Cass watched him go and then turned away and began to think of something they could do.

Neal went and sat down on a rock and Regina began pacing around, Cass then looked up at the sky and thought to herself, "So what are we supposed to do know?" Regina asked, "What about the spell my father used to rip off his shadow?" Neal suggested, "Do you think if I knew how to do that, I wouldn't have done it already?" Regina said, Cass then had a sudden thought as she continued to stare up at the sky, "The moon?" she thought out loud, "The moon?" Regina and Emma both asked, "The moon is what causes our shadows. What if there was a way to block it out using magic?" Cass said, "You mean like an eclipse? Is that even possible?" Neal asked, "Maybe?" Regina said, "So?" Emma said, "I need help" Regina said, looking to Emma, "With…magic...?" Emma asked, "It requires a lot. I guess we're about to find out how much those lessons I gave you paid off" Regina said, "Follow my lead"

Regina and Emma both raised their hands towards the sky and suddenly a dark shadow began to cover the moon, it got halfway and then stopped, "It's not enough!" Regina said, "We need more" she then looked over at Cass, "Me? But…I'm not strong enough…" Cass said, "You have it in you, you just need to let it out" Regina told her, Cass hesitated for a moment and then she came over to stand next to Emma and looked up at the sky, she raised her hands like the other two were doing and focused as hard as she could, forcing all she had on this one task. Finally the shadow began to move again, a little faster this time, and then they had it, Cass smiled brightly, she then turned towards the stairs and put her hand up and to her astonishment it went through, she looked back at the other, "We did it!" she cried, they all ran up the stairs, following the trail to Henry.

They made it to the top, Pan and Henry standing beside a huge hourglass, as they came to a halt they saw Henry taking out his own heart, "Henry, wait!" Neal cried, "Whatever Pan's telling you to do, don't do it!" he told him, "Dad! You're alive?!" Henry said surprised, "I am buddy" he said, "I need you to listen to me. Pan is lying to you" Neal told him, "Pleasure to see you too Baelfire!" Pan said, "Not to mention the Saviour. The Evil Queen, and the Accident Child" he added, Cass frowned at him, "Henry…You need to get away from him now, he's trying to hurt you" Emma told him, "No…the heart of the truest believer, it's wants going to save magic" Henry told them, "It's going to save all of you!" he added, "No it's not" Regina said, "This was never about magic Henry. You have to believe us" he told him, "The only person Pan's interesting in saving is himself" Regina said, "That's not true" Henry insisted, "Course it isn't" Pan said, as he went to stand in front of Henry, "Yes it is" Neal said, "Pan can't live without you dying, if you give him your heart it's going to kill you!" Neal told him, "Their trying to stain your belief Henry, but don't let them" Pan said to Henry, "Remember, every hero gets tested" Cass watched Henry nervously, trying to think of something to say to convince him, "Henry, I know what being a hero looks like and this isn't it" Emma said, "Why would they lie?" Henry asked Pan, "Because that's what adults do Henry. You know that better than anyone" Pan said, "Henry, you have to believe us" Regina said, "You parents don't care about Neverland, Henry. They know if you give your heart to save it then you'll have to stay" Pan said, he then moved to the side of Henry, "Their being selfish because they don't want to lose you" Cass frowned at Pan and then looked pleadingly at Henry, "Henry, you have to trust us" Emma said, "Trust! I'm the only one who's ever been honest with you Henry. The only one who ever believed in you! This is your choice, not theirs" Pan told him, he then looked towards the hourglass and then back at Henry, "You have to choose now, we're running out of time" Pan said.

Cass then moved forwards slightly, "Henry…listen to me" she said finally, "I'm the one who has always been there for you. I looked after you, listened to you, told you things I wouldn't dare tell anyone else. We've always had a special bond Henry. Isn't that right?" she said, Henry nodded, "That bond is still there, it always will be, nothing can break it. I need you to believe in that bond now Henry, please…I believe in you" they stared at each other, Cass smiled at her little brother/nephew and he smiled back, "We believe in you Henry" Neal said, "Because we love you" Emma added, "More than anything" Regina said, "Forever and ever" Cass finished, "I love you too" Henry said, Cass smiled, thinking they'd manged to convince him, "But I have to save magic" Henry said, " .no, Henry!" Neal cried, "I'm sorry…" Henry said, he then turned towards Pan, "NO!" the four of them cried, as Henry stuck his heart into Pan.

There was a sudden wave of energy and they were all forced backward by a great wave, and Henry fell to the ground. Cass darted over to Henry and shook his shoulders, Henry!" she cried as Emma, Regina and Neal came over, "Henry!" Emma cried, Cass then looked up at Pan who was now floating in mid-air, she frowned up at him and then looked back down the unconscious Henry.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Present: Normal

 _Flashback: Italics_

 _Hazel arrived home from school to find her mother sitting in the dining area across the hall, "Hazel, come sit, I want to talk to you about something" she said to her, Hazel frowned slightly but she wondered on over to the other room and sat down in one of the seats, "Yeah?" she said, "I have given it some thought" Regina began, "How you like to have a little brother or sister?" Regina asked her, Hazel stared at her mother, "Are you pregnant?" she asked her curiously, "Of course not. I was planning to adopt" Regina told her, "I've been in touch with a couple of agency, and I'm just waiting on word back from them" Hazel stared in surprise, "So, how would you like that?" Regina asked, "Eh…yeah…that would be great" Hazel said excitedly, "I've always wanted a sibling" Regina smiled, gladly, "Wonderful. Well hopefully I will hear back soon if something comes up" she told her, Hazel nodded, "Great!" she said, still smiling brightly. There was a pause and then Hazel got up, "I…I should go do my homework" she said, Regina nodded, "Very well" she said, Hazel smiled and then wondered upstairs to her bedroom, smiling the whole time. She was getting a brother or sister; she could hardly believe it._

Cass was still leaning over Henry, shaking his shoulders, trying to wake him, "Henry!" she cried, tears streaming down her cheeks, "Oh god…is he unconscious?" Emma said, "Henry! Can you hear us?!" Regina said, "He passed out as soon as his heart went into Pan!" Neal told them, "Is he breathing?" Regina asked, "Just hang in there Henry…" Cass said fearfully. She then looked up as Pan floated down from the sky, Cass frowned at him, "What the hell did you do to him?!" Emma said firmly, "Oh I didn't do anything Emma, it was Henry!" Pan said as he land back down on to the ground, "He offered me his heart of his own free will" Pan told them, Emma then stood up in front of him, "I'm going to take it back from you!" she said firmly, as she drew out her sword. She then ran towards him but just as she was about to strike, he disappeared.

Cass gasped as he appeared behind her, "I don't think you have it in you" Pan said smugly, "Rumplestiltskin didn't. Why should you?" he added, Cass frowned "Where is he?" Cass asked firmly, "What did you do?" Neal added, "Why he's right in this box" Pan said, showing them Pandora's Box, "Safe and sound, and out the way" Cass and Regina were still bent down over Henry, Neal and Emma were on their feet facing Pan, "And unfortunately for you, he can't hurt me anymore" Pan told them, "Neither can you!" Cass glanced at Regina and then looked up at the others, "Really?" Emma said and she lunged the sword at him, sticking his arm, "How did that feel?!" she said, "Like a tickle" Pan said, he then floated up into the sky and out of the cave.

"How is he?" Emma asked, "You're going to be alright Henry. We're going to get you home" Regina said, as Emma came rushing back over to them, Cass took hold of Henry's hand, tears running down her cheeks, Regina then held her hands out over Henry and a glow formed around the boy, Cass watched, still holding Henry's hand, "This preservation spell will keep him in this condition for a little while longer" Regina told them, "Buy us time to get to Pan" she added, "You were a Lost Boy" Emma said to Neal, "Any idea where he went?" Neal looked round at Emma, "I know where he lived, his compound…" Neal said, "Well that's idiotic! We all know that!" Regina said firmly, "Think he's stupid enough to go back?! Your useless…" she said, "Okay enough" Emma said, "Don't tell me what's enough my son is dying!" Regina said, "Our son. So yes I know how you feel" Emma said, "We want to help him Regina" Cass said to her, "You have no idea what I feel!" Regina said firmly, "You have your parents! You have this…person! A pirate who pines for you, you have everything and yet you claim to know how I feel. All I have is Henry, and I am not about to lose him because he is everything" Regina said, Cass looked at Regina sadly, and then looked back down at Henry, "You right…I don't know what you feel. So what do you want to do?" Emma whispered as she knelt down, "You want to run the show, run it. How do we save Henry?" Emma asked. Cass looked from Emma to Regina, "I don't know…" Regina said sadly. Neal then walked back over to them, "Even if we can find Pan, he was powerful before, with Henry's heart I don't know if we can hurt him…" he said, "Yes we can" Regina said, Cass frowned wondering what she was staring at, "Look" she said, Cass looked round at Emma's blade, "You nipped him" Cass said, "He can bleed. We can hurt him. And if we can hurt him, we can kill him" Regina said, Cass looked at them all and then at Regina, "And we will!" Regina added firmly.

 _Hazel was sitting in the dining room, working on her homework when her mother walked through the front door, "Hazel!" she said, smiling brightly, Hazel looked round slightly afraid, she'd never seen her mother smiling like that before, "What is it?" she asked nervously, Regina came over and sat down in the seat next to her daughter, "I've just got word, there is a baby in Boston needing a home" she told her, Hazel smiled excitedly, "You mean..." she said, Regina nodded, "Yes, tomorrow we may have a new member to the family" she said, Hazel smiled, she then hugged her mother happily, which is something Hazel rarely did, "That's amazing!" Hazel said as she withdrew, "Can I come with you?" she asked, hopefully, "No" Regina said "You still have to go to school" Hazel slumped in her seat, "But hopefully I'll be back before you get home" Regina added, Hazel perked him a little again, "Okay" she said, then hugged her mother again, "I can't believe it!" she said happily, "Neither can I dear" Regina replied._

They got Henry back to the camp and Neal laid him down on a small camp bed, Cass sat down beside him, as did Regina, Emma explained everything that had happened to the others, "Gold is in a box? Then David can never leave the island" Snow said, "Mary Margaret, it doesn't matter, I've already made peace with that. What matters is Henry" David told her, "How much time do we have?" he asked Regina, Cass looked over at her, "Maybe…an hour before the preservation spell wears off" she said as she stroked Henry's hair, "If he's airborne he can be anywhere on the island" Neal said, "An hour isn't much time, I suggest we get started looking" Hook told them. Regina then stood up and marched her way across the camp, everyone else followed except for Cass who stayed sitting beside Henry, with one hand she held his and with the other she began stroking his hair back off his face, "Where is he?!" she heard Regina shout from across the camp, but Cass blocked out the rest of what was being said and kept her focus on Henry, "It'll be okay Henry…" she whispered to him, "We'll find Pan, and we'll bring you back" she smiled sadly at him, wishing and hoping he could hear her, Neal then came back over to them and sat down beside Cass, "Hey…how's he doing?" Neal asked, Cass shook her head as she kept stroking Henry's hair, she then leaned her own head against Neal and let tears run down her cheeks, Neal put his arm around her and hugged her gently, "Don't worry, we'll find Pan, and we'll save Henry" Neal told her, Cass could hear shouting at the other side of the camp but she paid no attention to this. A few minutes later, Wendy came over to them, "I'll stay with him, you two go and do what you can to help" she told them as she sat down by Henry's side and placed and wet flannel over his forehead, Cass smiled slightly and then stood up and went with Neal back over to the others, "The Pixie woods? That's where it is?" Regina asked, "It's just north of here" one of the Lost Boys explained, "It's where the pixie dust used to grew" he said, "You know where that is?" Emma asked Hook, "Aye, that region is deserted now. No one but Pan has set foot in the wood for centuries" Hook told her, "Then let's make history" Neal said, "We're going to need you here" Emma said to Neal, "Once we get Henry's heart, it's going to be a race back, we need help on both ends" Emma explained, "Okay" Neal said, "What do you need from us?" David asked, "Lets gather up the Lost Boys, get them on board the Jolly Roger, prepare the ship to fly" Neal said, "Let's hope you have a Pegasus sail, otherwise we're at the mercy of the trade wings" Hook said, "Pan's shadows in here, that will get us home" Neal said, as he slung a sack over his shoulder, "As long as you ship holds together" Neal added, "So long as your plan holds together. She will" Hook said, Neal then turned to Emma, "Henry's going to be with me and Cass the entre time, nothing's going to happen to him when you two are away" Neal told her, "You mean three" Snow said, "I may be trapped on this island for rest of eternity, so you think I'm not going to be spending my last moments with my daughter, you're crazy" she told them, "Okay. Let's do it" Emma said, and then she, Regina and Snow set off.

 _As soon as Hazel came through the door she was greeted by a baby crying, "Henry…it's okay…please…it's okay" she heard her mother say, Hazel hung up her school bag and went through to the living room, "Mum?" she said as she went over to the sofa, "Hazel, can you hold him, I'm going to go make up a bottle" she told her, Hazel nodded and took the baby from her mother and rocked him gently, making hushing sounds, trying to soothe him, "Hey…it's alright…don't cry" she whispered to her little brother, "Henry…" she kept rocking him gently and began to hum a soft tune. Finally the baby stopped crying and he looked up at Hazel, she smiled "There we go" she said softly, just as her mother came back into the room, "How did you do that?" she asked, Hazel shrugged, "I don't know…I just kept rocking him and humming, then eventually he stopped" she told her mother, Regina then took Henry again and it was as if someone had turned on a radio, Henry instantly began to cry again, "What…?" Regina said softly, Hazel took the baby back again and rocked him gently; Henry stopped crying almost instantly, "It's me…" Regina said sadly, Hazel looked up at her mother, "Course not, Henry's just being mister grumpy pants" she said, she then looked down at Henry again, "Aren't you Henry" she said playfully, the baby gave a small smile and giggled slightly, Hazel then looked back at her mother, "Try feeding him" Hazel suggested. Hazel gave the baby back to Regina, Henry instantly started crying again, "Henry…please…just give me a chance…" she said to him and kissed his forehead softly, instantly Henry stopped crying, Regina smiled "Thank you…" she said, Hazel then handed her the bottle, "Here…he's probably hungry" she said, Regina took the bottle from her and put it to Henry's mouth, he began to drink slowly, Hazel smiled, "See, he does like you" Hazel said, Regina smiled "Thank you Hazel" she said, "So, what do you think of your little brother?" she asked, "I love him" Hazel told her, she then looked down at the baby and then let him hold her finger in his tiny little hand. Just then the phone rang, "Oh…would you take him please?" Regina asked, Hazel nodded and took the baby from Regina and continued to feed him, Regina then went off to answer the phone._

 _Hazel watched her little brother drinking the milk, "There you are. Oh your hungry aren't you" she said to him. She watched him for a bit and then Henry stopped drinking and Hazel lifted him up and began to pat his back gently, until he let out a little burp, "There you go" she said and laid Henry down on her knees, "Your amazing Henry. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. I love you, and I promise I will always be there for you. I'll protect you Henry, even if my life depends on it. I promise" Hazel kissed her brother on the forehead and then held him to her, never wanting to let go._

It took some time but they finally made it back to the ship; Neal had carried Henry the whole way. He set him gently down onto the deck and Cass sat down beside him, "Stay here with him, I'm going to help with the Lost Boys" Neal told her, Cass nodded to him and then looked down at Henry, "Hold on Henry…hold on" she whispered to him, as she held his hand gently. Just then there was a cry from Emma, "Henry? Where is he?" she called, Cass stood up, "Over here" she called back to them and both Emma and Regina hurried over, Cass knelt back down as did Regina and Emma, "Hold on Henry" Regina said, holding the heart over him, she then pushed it back into his chest and everyone waited anxiously, "Henry?..." Emma said. Nothing happened, "Come on Henry…" Cass whispered fearfully, "Are we too late?" Emma asked anxiously, "Henry, honey?" Regina said. Suddenly Henry gave a huge gasp and opened his eyes, Cass smiled and sighed in relief, Henry then sat up and hugged both Regina and Emma, Cass stood up and backed off slightly to give them room, she went beside Neal and he put his arm around her, she smiled and leaned her head onto him, "Woah, take it easy buddy" Neal said to Henry, "I'm sorry…I just wanted to safe magic…" Henry said, "It's okay…it's okay…" Emma said, still hugging Henry, "I wanted to be a hero" Henry told them, "There's plenty of time for that" David told him, "Now it's time to rest" Snow added, "You just need to be you Henry" Cass said, "Your amazing, just as you are" Henry looked up at her, she smiled at him, "Welcome back young sir" Hook said, "Only the best for our guest of honour, don't you think? Captains quarters" he told him, "Come on, I'll tuck you in" Regina said, she then helped Henry up and they headed off below deck.

Emma then came over to Neal and Cass, "We also got this" she said showing them Pandora's Box, "And…also, there's something you should know. Pan…is Rumplestilskin's father" Cass frowned and then looked at Neal, "What…?" Neal said, "Pan told us" Emma said, she then gave the box to Neal who then handed it to Cass, "Go on" he said, Cass looked up at him and then at the box, she held it out in her hand and then waved her hand over the top. The jewel on the top shot up and a red smoke omitted from the box, and moments later Rumple appeared in front of them, Cass smiled brightly when she saw him, "Bae…Cass…" he said as he seen them, they hugged each other, "Papa…" they both said, almost in unison, "Where's Henry?" Rumple asked, "He's safe" Cass told them, "I told you I wasn't going to hurt the boy" he said to them, "I know…I'm sorry…" Neal said, "Why didn't you tell us Pan was you father?" he asked, "Because I didn't want you to know I was as bad a father as he was, because we're both the same me and him, because we both abandoned our sons" Rumple told them, "No Papa, you're not the same" Cass said, "Cass is right. You came back for me Papa" Neal added. They all hugged again, Cass glanced up at Neal and smiled, tears in her eyes. They withdrew and then Rumple stun round suddenly, Cass frowned "What's wrong Papa?" she asked worriedly, Rumple turned to Cass, "The box" he told her, she frowned and gave him Pandora's Box, he then strolled on down below deck, Cass looked at Neal and then hurried after Rumple.

She followed Rumple to the captain's quarters and gasped at what she saw. Pan was beside Henry, trying to rip out his shadow, "Blood magic works both ways, father" Rumple said and then opened the box, the red smoke flew out from inside and surrounded Pan, drawing him into the box. Cass watched fearfully from the door, "No!" Pan cried as he was pulled into the box, Cass sighed in relief and rushed over to Henry, Regina then ran down after her, "Henry?!" she cried, "Henry!" Cass cried also, he then opened her eyes and gasped, "it's okay! I'm okay" he told them, "Are you sure?" Regina asked, "He's a strong boy Regina, you raised him well" Rumple said, Cass looked over at Regina and smiled, "Yeah, you did" she said to her, "I'll stay down here with him, they could use you up there" Cass said to Regina, she looked round at her and smiled, "Thank you Cass" she said, the girl smiled back, Regina then kissed Henry on the forehead and then went back up on deck, Cass looked round at Rumple, "They could probably use you too Papa" she said, "Will you be alright?" he asked, Cass nodded "Yeah, I'm fine" she said, he then nodded and went back upstairs, Cass looked round at Henry, "You sure you're okay?" Cass asked, he nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine" he said, Cass smiled.

After a minute or two, the ship began to move and there was a sudden jolt as the whole vessel was lifted upwards towards the sky, "Woah…" Cass said as she steadied herself, "Well, seems Neal's plan worked" she said as she looked up towards deck, and then back at Henry, "Ready to go home?" she said, Henry nodded, "Yeah" he said, "I think I need some fresh air" he told her, "You sure, you should probably just rest" Cass said, Henry nodded, "I think it'll do me good" Henry told her, Cass smiled "Alright, come on then" she said and they went up on deck. Henry leaned against the railing and Cass stood beside him, Neal spotted them and came over, "Hey, you feel okay? Shouldn't you be resting?" he said to Henry, "I can bring you some food, if your feeling up for it" Neal said, "I'm feeling much better now, I think the fresh air is good for me" Henry said, "Good" Neal said, "Cass, you hungry, there's still food left" he said, Cass looked at him for a moment and then sensing he wanted to talk to Henry alone she nodded, "Okay" she said and then headed down to the lower deck, leaving them to talk.

Snow spotted her and brought her over some food, "Hungry?" she asked, Cass smiled "Thanks" she said as she took the food and then went to sit down at the side of the ship, on top of a barrel. She slowly eat up the roll and soup as she looked out at the night sky, thinking to herself, "Seems Henry isn't the only brave one" came Rumple's voice behind her, Cass spun round to face him, "That was a brave thing you did, going after him like that" he said as he sat down beside Cass, "I'm proud of you Cass" she smiled slightly, "You know, I think that's the first time you've said that to me" she teased, Rumple smirked, "Well, we'll try and make it a habit shall we" he said, Cass smiled and hugged him, "I love you Papa" she said softly, "And I love you too" he told her, they withdrew and Rumple rested his hand on her shoulder for a moment before standing up again, "We're going home. Things are going to be better" he said, Cass smiled and nodded; Rumple then turned and strolled off. Cass looked back out towards the sky, thinking to herself; 'Finally, she was going to have a family. A proper family'


End file.
